Naruto: The Runaway Chronicles Redux
by I LIKE FEAR 1-2
Summary: Rewrite: Naruto's memories are shattered and broken after the fateful battle in the VOTE. The Fox forces him to leave the Leaf behind and start a new life. With a forgotten past crawling forward, political alliances forming and growing, and a lot of dark secrets crawling to the surface, will the child of destiny find his place in this world or will he remain trapped in darkness?
1. Chapter 1

_**Alright... here's chapter one. I hope you enjoy the changes, and please read the end author's note to see my reasoning for the changes.**_

 **Naruto: The Runaway Chronicles: Redux**

Chapter 1

"NARUTO!"

"SASUKE!"

The two warriors screamed at the top of their lungs as they slammed their respective attacks into one another.

The resulting explosion shook the landscape and sent the Uchiha flying back into the valley wall. The other boy was also sent flying into the wall, but he ricocheted off of it, and he landed skull first on the valley floor.

 **"Ouch... that looked like it hurt."** Kyuubi muttered as his host had his brains scrambled by that landing.

 **"Ooohhh Shit... I wonder if there is any brain damage."** The Fox wondered as it began to heal it's host's, cracked open skull.

Doing a quick check, the Fox found it's host's memories were frayed, unfocused. It was all stable up until about the end of the academy, then his memories got all fucked up. They were out of order and broken up.

Letting out a sigh, the Fox began to try and piece them together. One by one, he watched the memories, trying to figure out where they went, in order.

As the Fox ran through Naruto's memories, it became increasingly agitated. It watched each one, and even went back to Naruto's first memories.

 **"Why the hell do you still live there?"** The Fox asked, as it watched it's host receive beating after beating at the hands of the villagers. It watched as he was forced to live in the shittiest part of town. In a building that was quite literally, only standing because roaches made up about sixty percent of the building's structural integrity.

It watched as he was constantly kicked out of the stores and chased away from other children. It watched as he was held back and sabotaged in the academy and how no one either noticed or cared.

 **"That Iruka Umino... he may have been kind to you, but there is no way he didn't know that you were being sabotaged. I mean, seriously... he's a teacher and he couldn't tell that your reserves require higher level chakra control exercises to master, then simple leaf spinning? That's either intentional sabotage, or simple negligence."** The Fox shook it's head in disgust. Humans were so fickle. These people claimed to be warriors but instead of sucking it up and accepting the deaths of their fallen comrades, they decided to take it out on an innocent child.

Moving on from there, the Fox found itself continuously disgusted with the Leaf village. That pathetic silver haired Jonin, he was the student of Naruto's father. He should have favored Naruto above the others, but instead he treated Naruto as the dead last. All he taught Naruto was tree walking. Then when Naruto tried to ask for help in the Chuunin exams, he pawned him off to that pathetic excuse for a ninja, Ibisu.

Then there was that piece of shit, Jiraiya. The Fox knew who he was to Naruto. The fox remembered from his time in Kushina, he knew that Jiraiya was Naruto's godfather. Where the fuck had he been for thirteen years? If he didn't know that Naruto was alive, then why hadn't he told Naruto of his connection to him? The only answer was that he did know, and intentionally chose to ignore him and leave him to the spiteful villagers.

The Fox shook it's head in disgust. Every day these pitiful humans proved to him that his father had been wrong. Human's weren't worthy of his sacrifice. He should've just let the Juubi destroy them all.

After a little more searching the Fox located a misty barrier in Naruto's mind. Curious, the Fox approached it. He pushed his way through the barrier and it easily cracked. It must have been some sort of seal, that held blocked memories. Naruto's injuries must have damaged it.

What the fox found, was a smiling young girl, that acted just like Naruto. He saw memories of them playing together, and acting like children did. And then... she was gone. Like she had never existed at all.

The memories were all messed up, even worse then Naruto's from his head injury.

Withdrawing from the seal, the Fox took a look around. All of these broken memories were floating around with zero connection. Would Naruto remember them? Probably. Would they make much sense to him? Maybe, maybe not. Would he feel a connection to them? No.

With a sigh the fox allowed his energy to flow through the boy. Moving him like a puppet, the Fox took control of his body.

 **"You may not like it... but I refuse to allow my host to be weak. You aren't going back to that place. It doesn't deserve either of our powers.** " The Fox stated as it began to move Naruto's body on it's own.

Now in control, the Fox took a look around. It spotted Sasuke, lying on the ground not far away, it gave the Uchiha a look of disgust, before turning and dashing off. The Fox had contemplated crushing the unconscious boy's skull, but it could sense other's approaching. If it wanted to escape, it needed to move, and quickly.

- **Several Hours Later-**

"Oh... my head..." Naruto whined out in pain as he awoke next to a stream.

He sat up and looked around. He was next to a stream, in the middle of a forest. It was night time, and cool. This wasn't the first time he'd woken up in the forest, his body racking with pain. Still... this time was different. It was much colder then usual, and the trees weren't familiar. They weren't the same kind as the ones in Konoha's forest.

"Where... am I?" Naruto asked aloud as he clutched at his throbbing head.

" **You're in the land of Lightning."** Naruto heard a dark demonic voice state. He spun around and found himself in a sewer. Before him was a massive cage and on the other side was the nine tailed fox.

"Gah!" Naruto screamed out in terror as he stumbled back and fell into the water.

" **Hello there little guy. Do you remember me?"** The fox inquired.

"What the hell are you? Where am I? How did I get here?" Naruto quickly rambled out, his eyes wide in terror.

" **I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune. We're currently talking in your head, and I brought you down here."** The Fox answered.

"Why?" Naruto managed to ask.

" **I needed to speak with you. Do you remember me?"** The Fox asked.

Naruto looked like he was about to say no when a memory shot to the surface. He recalled demanding power from the fox to beat Sasuke. 'Wait… why was I fighting Sasuke?' Naruto thought in confusion. Then another thought struck him, 'Why was I talking to the Nine Tailed Fox?'

" **He was trying to defect from the hidden Leaf. You were sent to stop him and bring him back. But he decided to toss away your friendship and used cursed power to try and kill you. So you just evened the odds."** The Fox informed him.

"What? Sasuke isn't my friend. I hate that stupid teme, he always thinks he's so much better then everyone else." Naruto fired back. But even as he did, more memories drifted into focus. A few memories of their time in team seven. And even a few memories of Naruto begging Sasuke to come home.

"What… what the hell?" Naruto muttered aloud, confusion spilling into his mind.

" **You and the Uchiha did battle, but you suffered a head injury. you're suffering from some minor form of amnesia. The memories are there, they're just all jumbled."** The Fox informed him.

Naruto was quiet for several moments as he tried to think back. The memories were indeed there, but he had no connection to them. No way of finding them unless he was looking. The last thing he remembered clearly was failing the Genin exam for the third time, and being told that was it.

He tried to think back to that time, and got a few vague images of Mizuki trying to kill Iruka Sensei. He vaguely recalled that it was Mizuki that had told him about the Fox. He was some sort of vessel, the fox had been sealed into him by the Fourth Hokage.

Naruto didn't know how he felt about that. Thinking back, it all made so much sense now. Why everyone thought he was a monster, why the people called him a demon. He had hoped by becoming a ninja he could start proving himself, that people would stop hating him, but from what he could vaguely recall, he doubted that it worked.

"How did I end up in the land of Lightning?" Naruto asked after a moment.

" **I brought you here. You were unconscious, I used my chakra to manipulate your body and get you away from that wretched place."** The fox replied.

"Why?" Naruto asked as he looked at the fox and focused on it for the first time since being woken up.

" **Because… I've seen all the shit you've gone through in your life. The beatings. The looks. The neglect. Hell, you struggled and worked your ass off to become a ninja and your reward is a douche-bag Uchiha, who thinks you're worthless. A pink haired fangirl, who thinks you're an annoying loser. And a white haired, mask wearing pervert, who favors the Uchiha and thinks you'll never amount to anything."** The Fox replied with a bit of a growl.

Each time it listed off, a memory flashed up. Naruto felt his hand's tighten into fists, as the painful memories came flooding back. Sakura, the girl he had a crush on, thought he was nothing. She treated him like dirt. Sasuke… well that guy always treated everyone like crap, even though the villagers gave him everything he could possibly want. And then that white haired guy… Kakashi-sensei. That guy was such a hypocrite. Always going on about teamwork and unity only to cast Naruto aside.

The memories were there. They may be out of order, but when he tried to recall something, it came up. Kakashi taught him exactly two things. Work as a team, and tree walking. And even then, he told Naruto how to do it, and then he pissed off. Sasuke and Naruto had to spend hours and hours running up that damn tree and failing about a thousand times before they got it right.

He tried to recall why he bothered staying in the Leaf, and then it came back… his dream of being Hokage.

The Fox knew what he was thinking, he was in Naruto's head after all. So he quickly moved to quash the potential problem, right away.

" **Do you honestly think that those people would ever elect you to become Hokage? Remember… you beat Gaara… and no one even so much as said thanks to you. Do you remember that? Do you remember brushing off their disrespect like a bunch of fucking assholes? I hate your kind, but even I have to admit, that you managing to beat a bijuu, with what little training and help that you've had, is pretty damn amazing."** The Fox said to him.

Naruto was actually taken aback. He rarely if ever received compliments. Hell the only four people to ever compliment him were Iruka-sensei, Old Man Third Hokage, and both the Ichiraku's. No one else ever complimented him, so it was weird hearing the freaking Nine Tails of all things, paying him a compliment.

"I need to go back… if I run away… they'll send people to kill me… I'll be listed as a rogue. And… I'll never get to be Hokage..." Naruto found himself saying.

" **You weren't going to be Hokage anyway you little runt. If they can overlook you being son of the Fourth Hokage and the Red Death, they sure as shit aren't going to notice any 'accomplishments' you can pull out of your ass, to try and impress them. Hell they'd probably have you killed for harming their own so precious Uchiha."** The Fox growled in reply.

Naruto actually took a step back, stunned beyond belief.

"Wh-what did you say?" Naruto asked with a stutter. The Fox made a face, it knew what Naruto was referring too, but it wondered if he had caught the rest of what it had said.

" **Your father was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. Your mother was a woman named Kushina Uzumaki, also known as the Red Death. She was my host before you. I know everything about her, including her secret marriage to the Fourth and your birth. They both died during my rampage."** The Fox explained to him.

Naruto was completely dumbstruck. Once again he fell to the ground. To think… his idol, his hero, the man he admired more then anyone else, The Fourth Hokage, was actually his father… Naruto couldn't believe it. He started to shake his head in disbelief. The fox had to be lying, when he looked up, ready to lay into the lying bastard with vengeance, he was struck by a stunning sight.

The Fox had created an illusion inside of it's cage of two people. One was a woman with long red hair. He saw his own facial features in hers almost instantly. And the other, was a man who's face matched that of the mountain side monument that he always stared at, the Fourth Hokage. These were his parents… they had to be.

Looking at his Father… Naruto just couldn't believe it. How could no one see that? He was almost a spitting image of the man. They had the same hair, the same skin tone, the same eye color… how could people not see?

" **Humans are blinded by their emotions. They allow them to cloud their judgment. Still… a few people should have known… in fact… I know they knew. And still they said nothing.** " The Fox growled out.

"Who? Who knew? And why didn't they say anything? Why didn't they tell me!?" Naruto shouted as he shot back to his feet.

" **The Third Hokage definitely knew. That sensei of yours, Kakashi, he knew, he was your father's apprentice for a while before becoming one of his three students. That old hag, Tsunade, she was your mother's cousin, surely she recognized you, and even if she didn't, she had access to your birth records. Then finally there was the perverted toad, Jiraiya. That man is your Godfather. And he didn't say a damn thing to you. Not even a fucking apology for being gone for thirteen years."** The Fox explained. Each name brought memories forward. People he trusted. People he respected. All of them had lied to him. All of them kept him in the dark. Why didn't any of them tell him?

It made him so mad! All he ever wanted to know was that he once had a family that loved him. Didn't they realize how hard it was being an orphan and not knowing if your parents loved you or not? Didn't they once think that it might have made things so much easier to deal with if he knew that his family didn't abandon him? Why didn't anyone say anything?

" **I don't know what their reasoning could be. But I knew your parents. The two of them were insufferable with how much they doted on you while Kushina was pregnant. All the two of them ever talked about was how they would raise you and care for you. How they would love you with all of their hearts. I'm a demon so that kind of thing is annoying to me, but in all truths, the two loved you, with all their hearts, and they gave themselves, to save you and that fucking village. And how did the village choose to honor your parent's sacrifice? Well… I think you know. So many clan leaders… all of them knew and respected Minato, and yet none of them raised a finger to help you."** The Fox explained. By now, Naruto was in tears. The fox could tell though, that they were tears of Happiness. All Naruto ever wanted was to know that he could have had a family, that he wasn't some dumpster baby, that was tossed aside and unloved. He stared intently at the two illusions of his parents. He memorized ever line, and every curve of their faces, and emblazoned them into his memory. He would never forget either of their faces.

Things were quiet for several moments as Naruto let out a few pained sobs. The Fox stayed quiet, not wanting to agitate his host more then he already was. The fox's goal was get away from Konoha, hopefully this was a good start, but he needed to play his cards right, from here on out. So with that in mind, he kept the illusion of Naruto's parents up for him to see. Each second he held it up, increased his chances of convincing Naruto to abandon the Leaf.

Finally after about ten minutes had passed, Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up at the Fox.

"I know you probably don't care… but thank you. Thank you for giving me this one thing. This one thing that I've always wanted." Naruto thanked the mighty demon with more sincerity then the Fox had heard from a human in a long time.

" **I'm willing to make you an offer… but only if you promise to never return to that wretched village again. Your parent's wouldn't have wanted you to remain and suffer like you have been. If they were alive now, they would have burned that village to ash, for what they have done. Swear to never return to that village, and I will tell you anything you want to know about your parents… hell, I'll even train you in their styles of fighting if you would like? How does that sound? Would you like to learn your parent's styles of combat?"** The Fox offered.

"I'm not going back to Konoha. You were right… I'd never make Hokage… no matter what I did. All the people there just lie to me, anyway. And… I want to know about my parents, I want to hear everything about them, but… why would you offer to help me? Don't you want to escape?" Naruto asked.

" **Of course I want to escape! However… when your father made this seal, he made an error. He placed two failsafes on this seal of yours. One was set to activate when you tear the seal off, that holds your father's chakra. The other was meant to activate when you used the seal key to try to control my power. That failsafe, holds your mother's chakra. What Minato didn't know was that by sealing a piece of both their chakra's in here, he was also sealing a bit of their souls. And while I can't get rid of those two soul fragments, I can examine them. And… because a soul holds a person's memories… I was able to learn all of their lives. This wasn't useful for Kushina, but for Minato, I learned that any attempt to escape would end in failure, and that he also sealed half of my chakra into himself before he died. So even if I do get out of here, I'd only be at half strength."** The Fox explained with a bitter amount of respect towards his old enemy. Minato was indeed a cunning man.

"Wow… my old man sounds really smart. He even managed to outsmart a several thousand year old demon… wow..." Naruto stated with awe.

" **Yeah well… he was smart, but I still learned all about his plan. doesn't mean there's much I can do about it… so I guess you can say that we're tied. He split me in half, I killed him. He sealed me in you, I killed his wife. He left failsafe's in the seal, I learned all of his techniques from his soul. So… yeah, we're tied."** The fox replied with a harrumph.

"Don't be so morbid, gosh. Those are still my parents and that's really friggin' dark." Naruto muttered earning a growl from the fox.

" **Look brat. I'm stuck here with you. You promise not to go back to Konoha, and you promise to let me lightly leach off of your Yin Chakra to slowly begin to replenish my own. And I promise to tell you all about your parents and to help make you strong. If I'm gonna be stuck with you, I might as well make you awesome, so that I don't have to watch you get thrashed over and over again. Honestly, it's embarrassing for me."** The Fox replied.

"Um… taking my… uh… 'yin' chakra, isn't going to hurt me is it?" Naruto inquired with a bit of confusion.

" **No. I'm only gonna take a bit. I'll take a bit, corrupt it, so that it's like my own chakra, and then add it to my reserves. With a bit of luck, once I gather enough Yin chakra from you, I can pump it into my core, and get it to start recreating my own Yin chakra. it'll probably take decades, but it's the only chance I've got to repair the damage the Fourth did."** The Kyuubi responded.

"Okay. Alright then… it's a deal. You help teach me, and tell me about my parents, and I promise to be the most badass host in the world. We'll kick all sorts of ass together!" Naruto agreed gleefully.

" **Alright… but before I tell you anything… there is something I need you to do first."** The Fox informed him as it leaned close to the cage.

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

" **THROW THAT ORANGE ABOMINATION INTO THE FUCKING RIVER!"** The Fox roared scaring Naruto out of his mindscape.

He found himself where he was before, back by the stream. With a sigh he rose to his feet and removed his orange jacket. It was a cold night, but not so cold that Naruto wouldn't survive without the jacket. He let out another sigh and tossed it into the water. After a few moments he thought back to the people in Konoha.

"Iruka-Sensei, Ayame-chan, Teuchi-Ojii… I'm sorry guys… but… I can't go back. The Leaf will never respect me. They'll never acknowledge me. I can't just keep putting myself through this. I need to do what's best for me. So… that's what I'm gonna do. I promise… I'll make you guys proud. I'll do great things." And with that, Naruto removed his head band. After a few moments of contemplation, and a few more memories of how little that headband had meant in regards to his treatment by the villagers, by his peers, by the council. With a sigh, Naruto dropped it into the water and turned to walk off. He could see lights in the distance. Hopefully he was far enough from home that no one would even remotely recognize him.

 **-One Year Later-**

"Come on Naruto!" A loud, friendly young voice shouted. That dark haired, young girl was smiling back at him, as she waved for him to hurry up.

Naruto quickly followed, eager to have some fun.

He chased her into a wooded area but lost sight of her. After a few moments he found himself alone. For a second he worried she had abandoned him, but then he heard a muffled giggle. He glanced over at a tree, and a grin formed on his face. He crept closer to it, and could hear someone shush others.

His grin growing larger, Naruto got into position. Taking a deep breath he jumped around the tree and yelled as loud as he could.

Three children stumbled back in fright, while Naruto burst into laughter.

"Haha… I found you. Nice try though." Naruto laughed.

"Hey… no fair. We were gonna do that to you." The Dark haired girl replied as she quickly got close to him. Naruto just continued to laugh, as she pouted.

From there, the memory faded and Naruto found himself opening his eyes.

"Another dream about her..." Naruto muttered as he sat up. He was currently sitting up in a tree, balancing himself on a thin branch while he slept.

" **That's the fifth time this week. Perhaps your memories are trying to tell you something?"** The Fox suggested.

"Hmm… yeah maybe." Naruto replied as he shook the grogginess from his head and hopped out of the tree.

"Alright, Kurama-sensei, what's on the agenda for today?" Naruto asked, with interest.

From there, the Fox gave him his morning workout routine. For the last year, Naruto had been worked into the ground every damn day by the fox. But they quickly formed a bond. The Fox even told Naruto it's real name, and from that point onward, Naruto always referred to him as either Kurama, fur-ball, or Kurama-sensei.

When they had first started, Naruto's training consisted of ball-busting physical exercise, and chakra control exercises. At first Naruto dreaded those exercises, until he learned that they weren't the shitty leaf twirling or wall walking exercises. These exercises were meant for those with massive quantities of chakra, like Naruto.

He would have to do things like balance ten kunai along his arms and hold them on their points with his chakra. He would have to lift balls of water from ponds, using only his chakra to hold the water together. He was forced to do all of his physical exercise on the water's surface, hell the fox made him sleep on the water, while sitting upright, using his chakra to keep from sinking. For the first three months… Naruto absolutely despised the Fox.

But then came his first fight. He had been ambushed by a couple of bandits, that thought he was an easy target. The ease that Naruto kicked their asses, was eye opening for him. From that point on, Naruto ceased to bitch about his training, taking each lesson to heart.

As his chakra control improved, and his physical strength and speed got better, the Fox started Naruto working on Shurikennojutsu, Kenjutsu, and Fuinjutsu. Three arts that his parents excelled in. For Shurikennojutsu, Kurama had taught him the **Shadow Shuriken Jutsu** , and elemental infusion techniques. Naruto was a dual elementalist., meaning he had two base elements, being Wind and Water, which were his parents base elements. Wind was an exceptionally useful element to add to any sort of Shurikennojutsu, and with Naruto's massive chakra supply and slowly increasing control, he quickly learned to utterly decimate large numbers of unarmored opponents with his attacks.

For Kenjutsu, The Fox had Naruto take a standard Katana from the body of one a bandit he had slain. The sword was descent, good enough to practice with and use in a fight. From there, it taught Naruto one of his mother's many sword styles. She knew six different styles, with which she excelled in all of them, but she only mastered two. His mother fought with two katana, and used a brutal two-handed style to utterly destroy her opponents. Naruto only needed one sword, since the Fox had decided for Naruto's Kenjutsu skill to be his ace in hole and his fight finisher. One of the styles Kushina knew was the primary Samurai dueling style. Which included a lot of slashes and a good offensive posture, but the most important part, at least to the fox was the opening strike. That single sheathed slash, that was what the Fox wanted for Naruto's finisher. Not some super flashing ninjutsu like was known for, but a single slash.

Of course that slash would be infused with wind, and performed but someone with the speed rivaling a kage, at least that was Kurama's intention.

The final art that they focused a lot on in the beginning was Fuinjutsu. The sealing arts. Like his parent's before him, Naruto was naturally gifted in them. He actually found it calming and peaceful and took to learning them with relative ease. He already wore gravity seals on his arms and legs, and was in the midst of learning other seals to use as traps.

Another major skill that was focused on during the year was Naruto's stealth. He had years of experience from hiding from Anbu and other ninja, and now those skills were going to be refined.

For a year, Naruto lived in the forests of the Land of Lightning. The first thing he was ordered to do was summon the toad Chief and either get their assurance that he wouldn't be reverse summoned to them, or that he would have to end his contract with them.

Gamabunta wanted answer as to why Naruto had fled, but Naruto simply stated that the Leaf had betrayed what his parents died for, and that if the toads stood by the Leaf for that, then he would abandon their contract. After consulting with the Toad Elders, it was decided that they would hold to Naruto's trust and not tell Jiraiya anything. After all, he may hold the contract, but Naruto was the future. He would be their summoner long after Jiraiya passed away, so if they wanted to still have a summoner they needed to keep Naruto happy.

With his safety on that front secured, Naruto perfected his stealth.

Another thing he did, that both kept him hidden and helped his chakra control, was that he was now constantly under a henge. He looked almost the exact same, except now he had red hair, and his whisker marks were gone. He changed his eyes to a more purplish blue like his mother then the bright blue of his father.

Being under a henge at all times ensured that his control slowly increased. It was like training on top of the water, Naruto's control was always improving under Kurama's careful guidance.

Aside from the constant training and lessons, Naruto was also going over his life and re-examining everything. He took a look at people he had known for a long time, and even tried to get a clear sense of those that he knew after his graduation. A lot of things added up to disappointment for Naruto. People who should have helped him, instead ignored him or outright attacked him. He learned that he should have had a large number of allies on the council. The Uchiha were close friends with Fourth and his wife. The Inuzuka actually swore and oath to Minato to protect his line. Hell, Shibi Aburame and Chouza Akimichi, were both of Minato's squad mates from his time as an Anbu, and neither of them offered any help.

Naruto didn't regret his choice to leave. Out here he was his own man. He was free to do whatever he wanted, and he was free to live his life how he wanted to live it.

For the last couple of months, Naruto had been having dreams of that girl. She had dark hair, and dark eyes, and looked a lot like Sasuke. Naruto didn't remember her name, and he couldn't really think to clearly about her, but every so often he'd have a dream about her.

Naruto knew that the answers lay behind the seal on his memories. He knew he could learn who she was by unlocking that seal. But he didn't want to know. His dreams told him that she was a friend, probably his only friend during those hellish years. But she wasn't here now. There was a reason that his memories of her had been sealed up. Naruto had a gut feeling that told him that whoever she was… she had died a long time ago. Naruto knew that her death was probably one of many memories hidden behind the memory seal. That was the reason why he didn't care to release it. He didn't want to know who she was or how she died. She was his friend once upon a time. He'd just stick with the dreams and pray that the truth remained locked away. Whoever she was… it didn't matter anymore. And he knew, that to learn her name, would reopen old wounds, and he didn't think he could take that pain.

Another oddity to occur were the memories of time spent with the Uchiha. Those memories made no sense at all. He couldn't even place them in a timeline, he had no clue when could have possibly lived with the Uchiha… it just didn't make sense.

So Naruto focused on the now. He focused on the present and how he could improve his life even more.

 **-Another Year goes by-**

Naruto let out a grunt of pain as he deflected a strike from a much larger man. This man was carrying a halberd and Naruto was deflecting it with his sword. This guy, must have been at least eight feet tall, and weighed nearly eight hundred pounds. Definitely a beast of a man.

With another grunt, Naruto pushed the blade of the Halberd away and dashed back. He sheathed his sword and charged wind chakra into the sheath, as the massive man, charged at him.

Naruto grit his teeth as he felt his arm begin to tremble. Pressure was building in the sheath of the sword and it was threatening to fire the sword out like a bullet, but Naruto used his strength to hold it in.

The massive warrior closed in, once within range he raised his Halberd above his head and aimed it like a spear and prepared to impale Naruto with it.

Right as he closed in, Naruto let out a held breath. He allowed the tension in his muscles to fade. He felt tranquility pass through him as the sword fired out of it's sheath, carried forward by the built up pressure of the wind style chakra.

A burst of wind accompanied the blade, and with nothing but Naruto's sword arm to guide it, the blade sliced through the air with unparalleled speed.

Naruto didn't even feel any resistance as his Katana sliced through the massive man's torso. The ease of the cut was staggering. The Katana, infused with wind Chakra, and fired forward with pressure, cut through the man like a knife through air. There wasn't even a single drop of blood on the blade. ( **Think like Jetstream Sam's strike from Metal Gear Reveangeance.)**

Turning Naruto started away from the hulking man. He sheathed his sword, as he heard the behemoth fall apart into two halves.

Around him were the bodies of a dozen other bandits. Each one had kunai and shuriken sticking out of their bodies, implying that they had been killed at range.

Naruto quickly made his way over to a man whom was tied to a post. This man, was staring at Naruto wide eyed. What he had just seen was this masked figure ambush a dozen bandits, and kill most of them in under a minute with a hail of ranged weapons. Then he bested this massive hulking giant, with a single slash of his blade. Whoever this guy was… he was no normal swordsman.

In the two years since that fateful battle in the Valley, Naruto had grown a lot. He was now Five foot, five inches, a good height for fifteen, especially considering how short he had been back then. His hair was still red, as he now maintained the henge at all hours of the day. He was dressed in long dark robes with a furry collar. He wore a kitsune mask with three eyes painted on it, and he wore black pants along with long black fingerless gloves with red studded wrapping around his fists. ( **He's dressed like Menma from Road to ninja, except he's got a Katana strapped to his side, and his hair is red.)**

"Thank you. Thank you so much for saving me." The tied up man cried as Naruto cut his binds and stepped back.

"No problem old man." Naruto replied with a shrug as he turned and knelt over a nearby corpse. He spent the next few moments looting all of the corpses of anything valuable before turning to head off.

"Wait… before you go… who are you?" The previously held, man inquired.

"I am simply, The Kitsune. No more. No less." Naruto answered and with that, he **Shunshined** away.

" **You did much better on your slash this time. The blade was perfectly clean."** Kurama praised him, as Naruto appeared in a field.

"Thanks. Still.. I'm gonna need another sheath, and I doubt that sword is gonna last much longer." Naruto replied aloud as he held up the sword and sheath. The sheath itself was noticeably cracked, earning a scowl from Naruto, the sword looked fine, but Naruto doubted it could withstand that kind of pressure again.

With another sigh Naruto headed home. Yet another year had gone by. Yet another year of endless training. By now his chakra control was actually good. It wasn't perfect, hell it wasn't even great, but it was good enough that he could use the **Clone Jutsu** so long as he made about forty images. He could also use Genjutsu now too. But he could only use them on large areas. He couldn't focus them on just one person. Still, with his reserves, illusions that large weren't too troublesome.

His physical training had been pushed to new heights. By now his gravity seals were sitting at ten times Earth gravity. Having worn them for two years now, Naruto was very much used to the cumbersome feeling. His sword skills were descent but he had a lot of room to improve. The fox taught him by using illusions of Naruto's mother and how she fought to help him learn the movements.

Naruto's Shurikennojutsu and trap skills were awesome. Naruto was a master of the art of ambush. He could lure anyone into a properly set up kill zone, and his natural goofiness and joking attitude helped to agitate stronger opponents into making mistakes and stepping into shit they didn't want to step in.

Naruto's skills in the sealing arts had also vastly improved. He utilized many seals in his trap making. He could easily write bomb tag seals, kunai launching seals, and even seals that activated timed traps. Poisons and toxins became a tool of the trade for Naruto. He usually utilized paralyzing agents on his kunai and shuriken, made from poisonous plants and animals that lived in these parts.

Also during the year, Naruto got to finally get back to the art he was best at. Ninjutsu. Now that his chakra control didn't blow ass, he could actually learn things with a bit more ease. The Fox taught him a number of Wind and Water style techniques that it took from Kushina and Minato's memories. Naruto took to them like a sponge. Anything his parents knew, Naruto took to learning with gusto. At this point, he also began work on finishing the **Rasengan** , his father had never managed to do so, so Naruto made it his mission to surpass his old man in that regard.

During this two year time, Naruto also worked on unlocking his Bloodline. The Uzumaki sealing chains. Using Kushina's memories of her training with Mito, Kurama helped Naruto unlock his own Chakra chains. He sucked with them, much like Kushina did when she first activated them, but like with the **Rasengan** since his mother knew it, he would learn it too.

Kurama thought it best to wait to start teaching Naruto his father's signature jutsu. His speed and his skills with sealing weren't nearly high enough to replicate the **Hiraishin** , and besides, they had a lot of other things to worry about so that was put on a back burner for now.

With all of his training and skills, Naruto was quickly growing in power. By now he was at least high Chuunin in skill, maybe even Low Jonin if you gave him time to plan. And with each passing day, his skill, his power, and his name grew. The Kitsune. Naruto's alias. He was quickly becoming a local legend in these parts. Helping the innocent and crushing the murderers and monsters of the world.

It was descent. As long as Naruto got something out of it, like recognition or money, as long as he got something, Kurama didn't care if he helped people. In fact, Kurama also took it upon himself to teach Naruto proper etiquette. He made sure Naruto knew how to act in front of lords and high born, because that kind of thing helped to get you jobs. And whenever Naruto went out on a job, the fox had a new challenge for him.

For each job the fox would issue a challenge and if Naruto succeeded he got something for it. Like a bit more info about his parents or their lives. Or perhaps another technique or jutsu. These challenges ranged from killing absolutely everyone in the enemy camp, that was an enemy, to be seen by absolutely no one, not even the people you are helping.

Sometimes Naruto succeeded other times he failed. But the challenge kept the training going, even on missions. By this point, Naruto was a ghost on the battlefield. Using illusions, deception, traps, and his outright annoying attitude, helped Naruto beast much greater opposition then others would think possible.

Even so… there was still a lot of training left to do, and even then… time was money.

 **-Three years passed in total-**

Naruto watched in silence as three rogue nin escorted a Kumo Chuunin through the woods. The Kumo nin had long red hair, and was dark of skin. She had golden eyes, and looked pretty roughed up.

"Come on you bitch." One of the rogue nin growled as he tugged on a chain holding the Kumo nins wrists together.

The woman let a sneer cross her face, but she remained quiet.

Naruto watched as the three escorted their prisoner for many moments. Finally he made a handsign, and seal marking on his wrist began to glow. He prepared to hop down but noticed movement to the right.

Naruto glanced down and spotted a pair of Kumo Genin watching the three nervously. One he didn't know and the other was Nayumi Hiyoto. Daughter of Daso Hiyoto the Bloody Bore of Kumo. Her father was a hero from the last great war, and he was also the Feudal lord of this province of the Land of Lightning.

Naruto had worked for Daso a few times in the past three years, the old man gave some of the best missions, and Naruto was always eager to hear from him, as it meant a good payday in his future.

Naruto guessed that the two were here looking for the Kumo Chuunin. They were probably part of a four man cell led by a Jonin, they had probably split up to cover more ground.

He noticed the two having a conversation with their eyes, and he knew they were planning some sort of attack. Not wanting them to screw up his own plan, Naruto whipped out a senbon at the two. It flew right in front of Nayumi Hiyoto's face causing her to glance down at it then shoot a look in his direction.

Nayumi Hiyoto could be described as a beautiful young woman. She had dark brown hair, that was in a bob cut. Her bangs covered one of her eyes. She was thin, average height, and muscular. All in all, a plain kind of beauty. Regal but not extravagant.

Her eye's widened when she spotted the Kitsune up in a tree. Naruto made a shushing motion towards the two then turned back to his targets. With complete silence Naruto hopped out of the tree he was in.

Whipping out three shuriken, Naruto launched all three at the leading rogue nin. All three heads snapped in his direction as he made another handsign and the seal on his hand glowed brightly.

The lead rogue ninja ducked down, only to come face to face wit ha seal on the forest floor. The seal flashed and fired a kunai right into his face, killing him instantly.

The other two drew weapons only for other seals on the trees behind them to fire kunai right into their backs. One died almost immediately and the other went down screaming.

Naruto quickly approached him and drew his sword. With a quick slash he silenced the screaming man.

Sheathing his sword Naruto knelt over their corpses meanwhile the two Kumo genin rushed out of the underbrush and approached their comrade.

"Hey… I don't know who you are but thanks." The captive Kumo Chuunin said to him as her comrades removed her binds.

"No need to thank me. Just a good Samaritan doing his civic duty." Naruto replied cheerfully.

"Kitsune… what are you doing here?" Nayumi Hiyoto asked him.

"Um… working. How are you Yumi-Chan?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his masked face.

"Don't call me that!" Nayumi growled at him, with a dark look in her eyes.

"Why not, it's fun." Naruto teased as he finished looting the bodies. He then turned and started to head off.

"Hey Yumi… tell your dad I'm lookin' for work. Been a while since he's contacted me." Naruto called back to her.

"What makes you think he has anything for you, you perverted troll doll!" Nayumi shouted after him, as she followed in his direction.

"Hey… you still hung up on that? So I saw you naked in the bath house, so what? You shot a ball of lightning into my back!" Naruto spun around and fired back at her.

"That's what you get for creeping on young girls you weirdo." Nayumi snapped at him.

"Hey! I think you're actually older then me, short stuff." Naruto countered.

"Hey I'm not short. You're probably just dirty old man, under that mask." Nayumi accused him.

"Old!? Fuck you, I'm not old." Naruto fired back.

"Prove it!" Nayumi demanded with a hind of challenge in her eyes. This girl had been troublesome since he first met him. Always wanting to fight him and see his face. I mean… Naruto knew he was devilishly handsome, but come on. This girl was one day going to be a Feudal lord, surely she must have more dignity then that?

"You know what? I don't have to stand here and take this from you. I'm leaving." Naruto then spun on his heals and **Shunshined** away.

"Hey! Fuck!" Nayumi growled in annoyance at seeing him run away. Once again, she'd lost the chance to learn his true identify, and kick his ass.

"Do they know each other?" The Chuunin asked Nayumi's Genin squadmate.

"Was it that obvious?" The genin asked with a chuckle.

"Let's go Karui-san. I'm sure the other's are still out looking for us, and there could be more Iwa nin nearby." Nayumi stated after a moment. The Chuunin nodded and collected the dead bodies then the three dashed away.

Meanwhile, Naruto stood in the shadow's watching them leave. His skills in stealth were growing. None of them knew, that the whole time they had been talking to a **Shadow Clone**.

With a sigh, Naruto dashed off. He was eager to find something more to do, as the opportunities in this area were drying up. It seams the local populace no lived with stories of his actions. The Kitsune had made his mark. And he had many plan to continue too, in the coming years.

 _ **-To be Continued-**_

 _ **Alright There's the remake. Let me know what you think, and expect maybe another year of jumps before the main story starts. I introduced Ami a bit earlier but she's still an unknown. I introduced Nayumi in a more unique way. And I focused on more of Naruto's skills. As you can probably guess, Naruto wont need to go to Konoha to steal the fourth's stuff now that Kurama has his memories, so they'll have different reasons to go. This is a remake, and also a retcon. Not everything will be the same. So I hope you enjoy.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Alright, here's the second chapter for you guys. Hope you enjoy. Also, just to note, I'll be finishing up with the time skip in this chapter. Naruto will be much stronger then he was in the last story, also to those who may complain about me making him too strong, please take note of how old Naruto is by the time he reached this level of power, and please remember that he didn't spend three years with Jiraiya doing nothing. he's been training with Kurama, who has the memories of both his parents, so… I hope you see Naruto's growth as realistic, because in all honesty, without spending three years on crap, Naruto could have been as strong as Kakashi by the time her returned from his training trip. By the time the time skip is done, Naruto will be 18, which means he'll be one year older then his canon counterpart. So please, no complaining about Naruto being too strong, I merely allowing for his growth in a way that in my mind, would ensure he reaches great heights in a realistic way.**_

 **Naruto: The Runaway Chronicles Redux**

Chapter 2

 **"How did that feel, Idiot?"** Kurama inquired as Naruto pulled himself to his feet and trudged forward.

"Fuck you." Naruto muttered aloud as he clenched his shoulder and let out a hiss of pain.

The fox merely laughed in reply. Watching Naruto, actually fight for his survival was exhilarating. Naruto had just been ambushed by five rogue ninja looking to cash in on the bounty Naruto had on his head from all his good deeds.

They had set an ambush in a tavern Naruto often frequented while looking for work. Needless to say, Naruto was victorious but not without a struggle. Four of his five opponents had been Chuunin Rank, and one was a Jonin, and while he did win, it wasn't without great difficulty. He had a large number of cuts and bruises which were quickly healing over thanks to the fox. He had a dislocated shoulder which he'd need to set, and one of his ankles was already starting to swell up, also his vision in his right eye was blurry as all hell from a hit to the head.

Obviously the night had not been kind to our young hero, but he survived.

As he walked out the door, he glanced over at the bartender and the large number of patrons who were backed up against the wall, fearful for their lives.

"Sorry for the mess." Naruto quipped as he proceeded out the door.

Those in the bar could only let out their collectively held breaths as Naruto left. Their eyes slowly drifted towards the three mutilated corpse that had once been rogue ninja. The Kitsune had displayed his superiority in a brilliant flash of swordsmanship, and Shurikennojutsu. And it left many patrons stunned.

Another day, another battle. It had now been four years since Naruto had left the hidden Leaf behind. He was Seventeen years old, and had grown immensely in that time. He now stood five foot, eight inches tall. He towered over his height from four years prior. Eating right, training right, and having the Fox to ensure that there were no medical issues guaranteed that Naruto grew quickly.

He was very well muscled now, and had cut his bushy hair, short. He still kept up his special henge, so as to hide his true appearance. His hair was red like his mother's. His eyes were purplish blue much like hers. And his whisker marks were no longer visible.

Naruto had grown strong in the last four years. He was able to take on four Chuunin level opponents and a Jonin, in a one on five fight, while rested though unprepared. At his peek Naruto could take on any two Jonin in a one on two fight with his skills alone. With the right teacher, and proper guidance, Naruto had everything working for him, to guarantee success. He had a bloodline, he had excellent parentage, he had drive, and determination and he had an amazing teacher, all in all, everything pointed towards success now that Naruto was in the right position.

While his base skills were incredible, it was when he was running at full power, that he proved just how far he had come. At his full strength and with Sage mode, he was definitely beginning to breach the S-ranking.

Yeah, in the year since he had freed that Kumo Chuunin from that group of rogue ninja, the toads had approached Naruto to ask him to learn their sage arts. Over the last four years, Naruto had confided in the toads, his reason for leaving Konoha behind. Needless to say they were not happy, especially Gamabunta, whom actually liked Minato a helluva lot more then Jiraiya. The toads had held to his confidence and had kept his location a secret from Jiraiya telling their contract holder that they couldn't locate him because he did no want to be found.

Of course, Jiraiya had argued that he had a right to know, but they always denied him, saying that one summoner didn't hold status over another. Naruto had full rights as their summoner, meaning that he was just as important to them as Jiraiya was, even if Jiraiya did hold the contract.

So, when asked to learn the Sage arts, Naruto agreed. It took him four months to master them, but according to the toads he had perfected their arts to the same level that his father had, years before.

It was after learning those difficult arts that Naruto returned to his area of operation, and continued his training under Kurama. By this point in time, his skill with his bloodline was on a level where it was useful in combat. He could sprout multiple chains from his back and palms, and use them to grapple and pin opponents. His sword skills were impressive, he'd dueled with a number of traveling swordsman and had learned many interesting tricks from them, on top of his mother's memories.

His chakra control was still good, it would probably never be perfect but it was definitely good. His skills in taijutsu were great, his speed had increased, by a massive quantity, thanks to the fox starting him on his father's speed training regimen. By this point Naruto was fast enough that within a few months time he'd be ready to start learning his father's signature Jutsu, the **Hiraishin**.

His skills in Genjutsu were still average at best, he was capable of casting large area genjutsu, but nothing pinpoint, or all that fine tuned, still, Naruto and Kurama were both cunning, and they used what they had. Naruto would often use Genjutsu to muffle the sounds of a surrounding area during a fight, so that his opponent would never notice Naruto's clones setting up traps and laying ambushes.

In terms of Ninjutsu, Naruto had completed his father's **Rasengan.** He had learned the **Odama Rasengan,** he had infused the **Rasengan** with the Fox's Chakra, he had created multiple sage art variants of the **Rasengan** , he had even infused the technique with his two base elements. Wind created, the **Wind Style: Rasenshuriken** , and Water created the **Water Style:** **Typhoon Sphere**. The **Rasenshuriken** was an attack that could be thrown, and when it struck it's opponent, it created a sphere, and anything within this sphere was struck countless times by microscopic blades of wind, that destroyed anything it struck on a cellular level. The **Typhoon Sphere** was an attack that consisted of a super condensed sphere of water that was held under immense pressure from all sides, in one's hand. When a person was struck with the attack, all of the water and pressure would release from the point of the sphere that made contact with the opponents body, it was basically like a cannon ball, made of water that would only fire when it made contact. While the **Rasenshuriken** destroyed large areas, the **Typhoon Sphere** was nearly unstoppable once it activated since, since it required contact with an opponent's body.

Aside from that, Naruto had learned several more of his parent's ninjutsu, his repertoire of combat techniques was varied enough to cover all his bases, he had close range technique's like the **Rasengan** and it's variants. For medium range he had technique's like the **Rasenshuriken** , and **Shadow** **Shuriken** **Jutsu**. And for long range he had technique's like his mother's chakra chains, and numerous wind and water style abilities.

In the year, Naruto had also improved his stealth. He had learned the **Chameleon Technique** from the Toads, and that coupled with his years of practice, and Naruto became a ghost on the battlefield.

The skill that had probably grown the most though in the last year, was his Sealing abilities. Naruto was truly living up to his parents legacy. Within a year or two he'd be as good as his father, whom was a genius when it came to seals. Within three years, he'd be as good as his mother, whom had sealing in her blood, and had learned the art from when she was very small, from one of the few grandmasters on the planet, Mito Uzumaki.

He could create complex seals quickly and had even learned how to seal away others chakra if he needed too.

All in all, Naruto had grown, immeasurably in the past four years, with the Fox as his tutor. The only two things that Naruto sought to do now, was to learn the **Hiraishin** , and bond his chakra with Kurama's. The prior would begin in a few months, the later had to wait until he and the fox had a safe place to learn.

Any utilization of the Fox's chakra, had to be carried out in small amounts, otherwise nearby sensors may be able to recognize it's chakra and lead the Leaf to him.

In this most resent year, Naruto had built up quite the reputation and developed relationships with those around him.

So First and foremost, Naruto and Kurama's relationship was great. Naruto admired the Fox and was eternally grateful for all it had provided, and Kurama, in turn, grudgingly came to admire Naruto as well. Even with all the crap in his life, Naruto was still the happy go lucky guy he always was. He still liked to smile and joke and pull pranks, and his spirit was as strong as ever. He was just more mature now. And smarter too.

The two had developed such a close bond that Kurama was even willing to allow Naruto to bond his chakra to Kurama's thus allowing them to synchronize and enter Bijuu Mode. The only thing stopping them was that they had no place to train, so they were forced to wait.

Aside from that, Naruto had made several important friends in the local area. He now regularly visited Aski, the capital of this province of the Land of Lighting. There, there was three people that he had come to develop an important bond with. The first was a blacksmith by the name of Kenji, Lee. This guy was a fantastic smith and Naruto used him all the time for repairs and to fix up his gear. Though what made him one of Naruto's favorite people, was that he helped Naruto create his own personal sword.

One day, a few months prior, Naruto had entered the blacksmiths downtrodden and in need of a new sword. His sword technique, which he had named, **The** **Final Draw** **Technique** , had taken the life of yet another sword and sheath. Naruto had mastered the ability to a seamless precision, but he couldn't find a weapon and sheath that could withstand the power of the instant slash. It took him no more then a second to fully charge his sheath with wind chakra to power the slash, yet he could only use it twice at most before the sheath crack, and their was a thirty percent chance the sword would simply snap in half from the pressure. This had been the latter.

Seeing Naruto's depressed state, Kenji had inquired as to what was wrong.

- **Flashback** -

"You seem troubled Fox." Kenji the blacksmith noted with a chuckle.

"Yeah… my damn swords keep breaking." Naruto muttered as he removed his mask and let out a sigh.

"Really? You broke that sword you showed me the other day? How? That sword was in excellent condition?" Kenji inquired with surprise.

"I know. It's just… I need a blade that can take the kind of force I can dish out. I need something razor sharp, but also hardy enough to take a beating." Naruto explained.

"Hm… well… I think I might have an idea. I can forge a sword for you, and during the forging process you can infuse it with your chakra. The sword should become hardier, and more resilient to any techniques you use through it." Kenji explained.

"Hm… that sounds like a good idea." Naruto replied after a moment.

" **Hey… you should put my chakra into the sword too. It would probably ensure that it was unbreakable and I've heard rumors in the past that sword infused with Demonic energy grow stronger the more they're used. It could make you a powerful weapon."** Kurama offered up as well.

Naruto smirked at the idea, and informed Kenji that he would happily pay for the construction of a new blade. He quickly departed to get some money, as Kenji set about constructing Naruto's new sword.

 **-End Flashback-**

Once the metal had been melted down, Naruto infused it with his and Kurama's chakra. The end result was shocking. The sword was a simple Katana in design, however, it was slightly thicker then normal. This reduced the cutting power, but that was alleviated by the Wind Chakra Naruto could channel through the blade. The blade itself was also red in color, earning a very surprised look from Kenji after the metal cooled and took on it's new color. It had a black handle, with a black cross-guard, giving the blade a menacing appearance.( **Less high-tech version of Muramasa from Metal Gear Reveangeance. Yes I'm a huge fan.)**

With both of their chakra's flowing through the sword, the blade became incredibly hardy. The sheath issue quickly disappeared when Naruto learned to create Chakra conversion seals that could change his chakra nature. Placing one on a new sheath, he was able to convert his chakra nature into an earth nature which hardened the sheath allowing it to survive his signature move. Now with a sword and sheath that could survive his power, Naruto was free to form an attachment to his sword. Given his speed and agility with the blade and his style involving lightning fast strikes, Naruto decided to name the sword, **Harik** **ē** **n** or Hurricane.

Naruto's alter-ego quickly became well known for it's use of a blood red blade. A blade that radiated with demonic power. Power that seemed to bend to only Naruto's will. Which was true, considering it was Kurama's demonic power, and Naruto was the only human, Kurama would willingly allow control over his power.

It was this new development that led to a closer bond with the other two out of three. The second was Daso Hiyoto, the local Feudal Lord and a powerful Kumo ninja.

Daso was a tall and heavy set guy. They called him the Bloody Boar of Kumogakure, and for good reason. Naruto had heard rumors that the Hiyoto family had a terrifying bloodline. Daso himself was kind, but cunning as all hell. The man knew how to work any angle that was offered to him.

In terms of appearance, he was in his fifties. Short dark hair, thick, medium length beard, focused eyes. All around, an intimidating guy. Until you heard his laugh, it was a loud, hearty, laugh that came from deep within, the man was always in good spirits, and was always willing to offer a hand to his friends.

Naruto had formed a bond with the man, under the guise of his alias 'Kitsune', he was often seen in the Hiyoto family palace, inquiring as to whether or not Daso had any important missions he needed taken care of. Over the last four years, they had formed a rather sporting bond with one another. Daso always seemed to have some wisdom for Naruto, always a tip on where to find work, or where food was plentiful in the local forests. He always offered Naruto a helping hand and on more then one occasion the two had found themselves in town getting drunk alongside the locals, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Naruto was never afraid to remove his mask, with his henge up, he needn't worry about anyone recognizing him. The only reason he wore it around the palace was to piss off his third 'friend'.

His third new relationship came in the form of Nayumi Hiyoto, daughter of Daso and Ayane Hiyoto. Nayumi was a natural-born prodigy. The only reason she wasn't stronger, was because her time was spent between shinobi training, team building, missions, and developing her political skills. She was set to take Daso's place as Feudal lord one day soon, and she was obviously intent on doing her best.

This young woman was strong willed, focused, and driven. She had a fiery determination and temper to rival her father's. She didn't like to show weakness and rarely displayed any emotion that she may deem too, 'girly'. Still, she was a young woman, and she had a kind heart underneath it all. Her people cared for her, and she for them. She was cold to outsiders, but never mean about it. Naruto often liked to joke that she acted like a Tsundere, which was only partially true. While she had attacked him once, when she caught him spying at the bathhouse when he was younger and dumber, she didn't usually react with her fists first. Most of the time, it was her razor sharp tongue that saw action, long before her fists were needed. Nayumi Hiyoto could quip with the best of them.

In terms of appearance, she still had short, shoulder length, brown hair, cut in a bob cut. Her hair fell over one of her eyes.

In terms of build, she was average height, and lean. She had an athletic body, and descent curves. She wasn't an overly endowed specimen with light curves in the hips and thighs. She did have a descent butt, and her breasts sat towards the higher end of a b-cup which fit with her highly athletic lifestyle. She took more after her mother in terms of her body-type, thin and lean, rather then her father, tall and wide.

Their relationship came in the form of Nayumi being immensely curious about him, and Naruto taking great pleasure in teasing her, at least at first. She wanted to know who he was, and what he truly looked like, but most of all, she wanted to fight him. Nayumi was a woman whom always sought to test herself, and she had learned from the local legends that aside from her father and mother, Naruto was probably the strongest fighter in the area.

So, whenever she'd stumble across him waiting around in her home, she'd challenge him to a fight which he'd casually ignore just to get a rise out of her. This always worked as she wasn't without her pride and wasn't at all difficult to insult if you knew how. Still, his aloof attitude only served to further her curiosity and his natural skill in stealth, and his incredible ability to vanish in an instant, always intrigued her. I guess in a way you could describe their relationship as more like that of competing rivals. They hadn't been friends, mostly because neither knew much about the other, but they had a respect for one another. Or friendly lack there-of in Naruto's case. That all changed about a year prior, when Naruto finally conceded to a match between himself and Nayumi.

- **Flashback** -

"What?" Nayumi stuttered in disbelief.

"I said sure. Let's fight." Naruto replied, his face hidden behind his mask.

"Oh… well alright then. This way." Nayumi responded, still surprised that he had finally agreed to the match. She led him to her families personal training yard, which was wide open and perfect for allowing combatants a chance to let loose.

The two took position on a few yards from each other and faced one another. "Alright, Kitsune, if I win you need to finally show me your face." Nayumi stated to him as she shifted into a taijutsu stance.

"Fine, but if I win, you need to show me your boobs." Naruto replied, causing Nayumi's eyes to widen in shock.

Seeing her face Naruto burst out laughing. This was how he often fought, teasing and tripping up his opponents so they would lose focus. He knew enough about Nayumi to know that her mother was a Taijutsu specialist and her father was also great at it. That meant that Nayumi was probably a great Taijutsu fighter, so it was best to keep her off her A-game, even if he was better then her, he had learned to never give his opponents any edge. He'd push them to their lowest point, to keep them off put.

Nayumi's face was beat red, but she offered a nod none the less, which was actually surprising to Naruto. _"She must really want to know what I look like."_ He thought.

" **Well, you have been teasing her with that secret for three years. While she may be a girl, you've gotta remember that she's a girl who knows how to get what she wants, and take's risks when she sees a greater reward for her. Three years of wondering what you look like, vs you getting a look at her boobs, which you've already seen before. I think she just figures what the hell, I'll take that chance."** Kurama offered as an explanation. Naruto nodded in agreement and shifted into a Taijutsu stance of his own.

"Wow, Yumi, I didn't think you were that adventurous, I'm gonna look forward to this." Naruto stated with a perverse chuckle, once again, trying to get a rise out of her.

"You've got to beat me first, perv. And that's not as easy as it sounds." Nayumi countered with an agitated smirk. Even though she was calm and cool under pressure, she really didn't want to flash herself to some guy whom might be an eighty year old creep or something. She had her pride to consider.

With a chuckle, Naruto shot forward in a burst of speed. The two quickly engaged in a Taijutsu match, both were strong, both were fast. Naruto had the edge in speed, while Nayumi had the flexibility.

The fought for several moments, before Nayumi drew a kunai and lashed out, only to be blocked by a kunai from Naruto.

"Why aren't you using that sword of yours? I thought you wanted to get a look at my body?" Nayumi tried her hand at pushing him.

"I only use this sword on people that I plan to kill. It has a nasty attitude and doesn't like when I use it for frivolous things. And besides I don't need it to beat you." Naruto countered as he delivered a powerful kick to her chest, sending her flying back. She landed on her feet and launched several shuriken at him, while flashing through handsigns.

The shuriken immediately exploded in bursts of lightning, with bolt arcing between all of the shuriken.

" _Impressive. She can infuse weapons with her elemental nature."_ Naruto though as he brought his hands together and flashed through handsigns. **"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!** "

With that he sent a blast of wind at the hail of shuriken, stopping them in their track.

He then quickly focused on Nayumi. He felt his heart rate begin to quicken, as the fight grew more intense. There was a smirk on Nayumi's face as well. This is what she wanted, to test herself against someone with his legend, and skill. The two quickly dashed at one another and re-engaged.

For nearly an hour the two fought. Nayumi was good. She excelled in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, a natural born prodigy. She would be on his level if not for that fact that she didn't have the time to train as much as he did. Also she didn't have his healing factor so her physical abilities were far behind his own, since he could repair muscle damage in a few hours, instead of a few days.

That coupled with his stamina, and chakra levels ensured that she was at a disadvantage.

The fight finally came when she used the last of her chakra, to try and hit him with one of her strongest jutsu.

" **Lightning Style:** **Roar of the Blue Dragon!"** Nayumi shouted as she launched her strongest Ninjutsu at him. It was an A-Rank technique that involved expelling huge torrents of lighting from one's mouth, and Nayumi had mastered it to a fine precision.

" _Holy Shit!"_ Naruto thought as she let loose with a roar of Lightning that shot towards him in a massive torrent of glowing blue and white.

Lightning slammed into him and the whole area around his body exploded violently. A direct hit from that attack would have killed most people.

Nayumi stared into the smoke as she dropped to her knees. Her chakra was extinguished and she was panting heavily. Her vision started to cloud over, and she wondered if she had managed to hit him or not.

She felt cold steel against her neck, and knew her answer.

"Wow, Yumi. That was impressive. If that had hit, I'd definitely need to visit the hospital. Well done." Naruto stated.

"Fuck… I guess… I lost..." She let out a tired huff.

"Yeah." Naruto stated as he stepped in front of her. She was staring up at him, trying to determine just how far she had pushed him. She then remembered their deal and a deep blush appeared on her already flushed face.

She heard him chuckle and then noticed him reach for his mask. Much to her surprise, he removed it. Revealing a handsome young seventeen year old face. He had sweat running down his cheeks, and a smile adorned present.

"I think you've earned this." Naruto said with a chuckle.

Nayumi found herself memorizing his look, even as she struggled to regain her breath and keep herself up. He was nothing like she thought he was. He was young, and handsome, and had a vary caring smile. There was a light in his eyes, a warmth that she couldn't explain.

"Oh, and don't worry about showing me your chest or anything. I was just trying to get a rise out of you." Naruto stated after a moment.

"Oh… that makes sense. Do you do that for everyone?" She asked still staring at him.

"Yeah. It's how I like to fight. Keep my opponents off their game. Anger them. Embarrass them. Make them lose control. That way, even if they are better then me, they aren't fully focused." Naruto explained as he knelt down and turned around.

"What are you doing?" Nayumi inquired as he turned his back to her.

"Hop on. I'll take you back up to the palace." Naruto told her.

"Uh… Ehm… I can walk." She stated after a moment but they both knew that was a lie. She could already feel the effects of chakra exhaustion kicking in. She knew she had gone too far.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Naruto replied as he pulled her onto his back. She didn't struggle, she merely let out a tired sigh.

"You're a good fighting Yumi. Keep up the good work and you'll catch up to me one day." Naruto stated to her as he carried her back up towards the palace.

"How far did I push you?" She asked as she held onto him. She actually found it interesting to feel the muscles on his chest, as she rested her head on his shoulder. Her vision was already starting to blur at this point.

"Pretty far. I didn't use my sword, or any of my super-powered techniques, but you didn't use you bloodline either, so I say we both held back a bit. Still, that was pretty good for someone who spends so much time learning how to go to fancy dinner parties." Naruto replied, adding in a joke at the end, that actually made her chuckle.

"I'll take fighting you, over those fancy parties, any day." Nayumi replied.

"Hehe." Naruto offered his own chuckle.

"I still owe you something, for beating me. You showed me your face, even though you didn't have too." She said to him.

"You earned it, and as for owing me something… how's about a rematch?" Naruto inquired.

"Hell yeah. Just give me a few months to focus on my training, and then we'll see how big the gap between us is." She replied with a smile.

-End Flashback-

It was at that point, the two stopped being acquaintances, and actually became friends.

There were still secrets about Naruto that interested Nayumi, and so she would often inquire about them, when the two fought. He was often tight-lipped about his past, but he would sometimes open up about himself. Those one thing he never shied away from was teasing her about her appearance. He always did so in a good way, complimenting her beauty while they fought, which would get her to blush, and throw her off her game. She had heard compliments all her life, but the way Naruto gave them was just so genuine. Even after he had told her that he used it as a way of undermining his opponents, she still felt he was telling the truth when he said those things.

Another secret that was interesting to Nayumi and her father was Naruto's acquisition of **Harikēn** which had intrigued the two Hiyoto, as the blade was quite striking and carried a powerful dark aura to it. A dark aura that stood in stark contrast to Naruto's kind, generous and caring nature. Nayumi may not have known a lot about Naruto and he may have shown her disrespect on multiple occasions through his teasing, but she did know that he was a good person. As whenever he wasn't training or working, he'd be in town, helping people out.

But anyway, that had been a few months ago, Naruto current sat in a tree resting from his injuries, while he held a mental communication with the fox.

" _That hurt like_ _a_ _motherfucker."_ Naruto thought as he nursed a throbbing headache.

" **You must never let your guard down. Even in place's you are familiar with. Those five assholes worked well together. But they underestimated you. You can't become complaisant."** Kurama berated him.

" _I know._ " Naruto thought.

The two were silent for a few moments before the Fox asked, " **When are we going to stop running and make a stand somewhere? You've built a descent reputation for yourself and have made some powerful friends. Maybe it's time to seek sanctuary."**

" _What like in a hidden village? Why would I want to throw myself in another prison?"_ Naruto countered.

" **No. Not a hidden village, I mean just anywhere. We've been on our own for four years now, and while making a name for yourself is good, this attack proves that people are starting to plan against you. How long before the next group comes after you? That was five rogue ninja working together, that doesn't happen often, I'm guessing that group has made a name for itself over the years, so chances are good that someone will recognize their deaths and you'll get credit for it. Meaning others will start coming, to collect on you, or test themselves."** Kurama explained to him.

" _Yeah… that makes sense. Still… if I have to align with someone, who? I can't openly side with a hidden village yet, not until after I finish learning dad's technique. Once I have the **Hirashin** under my belt, I can get in good with anyone."_ Naruto thought back.

" **Well then… we'd best focus on that. But still, you need to think about it. Join a mercenary group. Hire yourself out to a local lord or something, but you need some political backing. The rogues are coming for you. How long before someone starts hiring the hidden village's to hunt you?"** The Fox conceded.

" _Alright. I get it. I'll put some thought into it. But for now, I need to rest."_ Naruto conceded as he let out a deep sigh. Sadly, it seemed his days as a free man were coming to a close. He'd need to align himself with someone. No one makes it alone in this world. At least, no one who wanted to achieve greatness. It was like that old saying, 'Without family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold.'

 **-One Year Later-**

"Motherfucker!" Nayumi Hiyoto hissed out, as she plunged a kunai into her assailants skull. The man was pinned beneath her and unable to defend himself as she ended his life.

With him dead, Nayumi turned her attention to her surroundings. She and her squad had been tasked with escorting a merchant caravan through the land of Hot Water. It was supposed to be a simple mission. By this point, Nayumi was a Jonin, and was captain of a squad of Chuunin, her comrades were currently fighting for their lives against what looked like Iwa ninja. One of her squad mates, the youngest, a blonde haired girl was crawling away from a large man, wielding a ninjato. She was bleeding heavily and was obviously terrified that she was going to die.

Her other two compatriots were fighting back to back against three more enemies. Both of them were heavily injured, with one missing several fingers on his right hand, and the other with a stab wound to the stomach.

The merchants they had been guarding were pretty much all dead. Killed by a few of the extra enemies. The four man platoon had been ambushed by ten enemy combatants. Nayumi's squad had managed to down one before being split apart, and Nayumi had just finished killing the two that had come for her. That left four wandering through the caravan killing anyone left alive.

Seeing the situation for what it was, Nayumi knew she needed to use her bloodline. She rarely chose to utilize it outside of her home, since it was a very obvious indicator of who she was, and often after using it, she would need medical attention, and the nearest town was five miles away. And seeing the condition of her squad, none of them were going to carry her there.

Still, she didn't have much choice. She knew the mission had failed so she focused on her comrades. She rushed towards he downed female squadmate whom was crawling away in a desperate attempt to live, as the her assailant slowly approached her. The look on his face was completely neutral. Not one of these 'Iwa' nin had said a damn thing since launching the attack. The only time they spoke was to call out their jutsu.

This struck Nayumi as odd, as the most common description of an Iwa ninja was loud and boisterous.

Before she could close the distance, another enemy ninja burst from the caravan and jumped in front of her.

Nayumi swore loudly, as she focused on this new attacker. She heard her squadmate cry out, and then a loud squelch tore threw the air. Nayumi knew she'd been killed. Or at least… that's what she thought until she heard the sound of her squadmate's pained yelps.

Glancing past her opponent, Nayumi's eyes widened as she saw the sword wielding Iwa ninja, fall into two pieces. Standing over her squadmate, clad in dark blue robes, and wielding a blood red sword was the Kitsune.

"Sorry I'm late." The Kitsune stated as he created a shadow clone to collect the injured Kumo Chuunin.

Nayumi was stunned to see him. This was far outside of where the Kitsune operated, and she hadn't a clue about why he was there, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Better late then never." Nayumi replied earning a chuckle from the fox.

"Hehe… well… I would have been here sooner but someone decided to leave town early so I had to play catchup." Naruto replied as the Shinobi that had blocked Nayumi's advance turned sideways to keep the two separate.

Ignoring his comment, Nayumi charged at her attacker.

As soon as she moved to advance the enemy ninja turned to face her, just as another burst onto the scene and appeared behind the Kitsune.

This ninja was armed with a kunai, and he drove it right into Naruto's spine.

As soon as the blade made contact, a clone of Naruto burst from the ground beneath his assailant's feet and got him into a hold. Right then, both the clone from the ground and the Naruto that was stabbed, revealed itself to be a clone as well, and used the **Shadow Explosion Jutsu**.

The ninja trapped in between the two clones was split in half by the explosion. Meanwhile the one, Nayumi was charging towards, was rocked forward by the blast, allowing Nayumi to easily drive an electric imbued kunai into their chest.

"Five down, five to go." Nayumi heard the Kitsune state from behind her. She spun around right as he dashed toward her other two comrades who's enemies had all clustered closer together as they witnessed reinforcements arrive.

Right as Naruto closed in on the group, the final two missing enemies jumped in front of him and began moving through handsigns.

" **Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"** One howled, while the other shouted, " **Wind Style:** **Blasting Torrent** **!"**

" _Shit!_ " Naruto thought as he stopped and hurled a kunai towards the two.

The kunai was more aimed between them and both shifted out of the way of the blade, what neither knew was that inscribed on this kunai was the formula for the **Hiraishin** and while Naruto hadn't mastered his father's signature ability, the **Hiraishin Sequence,** which consisted of multiple jumps between a set number of kunai, he had learned the ability as it had been created by the second Hokage.

So… in a burst of speed, that none could follow, Naruto vanished from sight.

At that point, Nayumi had moved out of the way of the twin attacks, she was far enough behind the Kitsune that she could easily move away, so she had a good view of him just suddenly disappearing and reappearing in between the two enemy ninja.

He stood behind them, his sword in it's sheath. In an instant he channeled wind chakra into the sheath and blade, then with a burst of wind and a snap of pressure, his blade shot out and he slashed the two enemy ninja in half, in one slice.

Both fell to the ground with looks of shock on their faces, neither had even gotten their technique out.

Turning towards the last three Naruto pointed his sword at them.

"Who's next?" He asked. By now both of Nayumi's remaining teammates had pulled back to his position away from the other three enemies. Nayumi quickly appeared by his side as well, and stared down the three remaining opponents.

"Are you ready?" Naruto whispered to Nayumi. She sent a glance at him, and offered a nod. She knew he had something planned for these three. So she readied herself to move.

The three enemy Iwa nin shared looks with each other before one reached into his weapon pouch. Right then Naruto took a knee and activated his bloodline. Nayumi and her teammates were the only ones that could see the Dark Blue chains that shot out of the Kitsune's back and into the ground.

It took less then a second for the enemy ninja to retrieve a smoke bomb from his pouch and begin to throw it towards the ground, but in that time, Naruto's chakra chain's cleared the distance. Right as the smoke bomb hit the ground, Chain's burst from the earth and speared the three ninja. One in the leg, one in the gut, and one right threw the foot.

Smoke quickly billowed up around them, as Nayumi rushed forward. She quickly flashed through handsigns and shouted " **Lightning Style: Erupting Thunder!"** And with that, she slammed her palms into the ground an a massive electrical surge shot forward. It shot into the smoke and she could hear all three men scream out in pain.

She kept channeling the technique for several moments, pumping more lighting into the attack until the smoke cleared. She didn't want to risk her enemies escaping even if it would tire her out.

It took about thirty seconds but the smoke did clear showing the three ninja on the ground convulsing but no longer screaming. It was quite obvious that all three were dead.

Seeing that, Nayumi let out a sigh and released her technique.

"Well… that was fun." Naruto stated as he retracted his chakra chains. He was lucky they were infused with his chakra which was more geared towards wind, otherwise, they might have conducted the electricity from that attack.

"Fun? You call that fun? We nearly died!" One of Nayumi's squadmates hissed as he dropped to the ground and covered his bleeding hand which was missing fingers.

"Yeah… sorry about that. I would have been here earlier but I slept in." Naruto apologized.

"Slept in? You were following us?" Nayumi asked in confusion.

"You are the heir to the southern most provinces of the Land of Lightning. Your father wanted to make sure you made it back alright so he asked me to follow you. You guys decided to leave early so I missed your departure." Naruto replied.

"My father hired you to follow me? What the hell? Doesn't he trust me to handle myself? I am a Jonin after all. I'm been a dozens of missions like this." Nayumi snapped in anger. Sure he had helped save their lives, but that didn't mean she liked being followed. Even if they were now friends.

"Hey! Don't get snappy with me! This isn't the first time I've had to follow your narrow ass around to make sure you're safe and I'm sure it wont be the last. You're father does trust you to handle yourself, but you're more important to the land of Lightning then some simple C and B ranked missions. So he told me to keep an eye on you. To let you handle things yourself and to only get involved when you were in serious danger. I think fighting seven to three odds, constitutes things getting out of hand." Naruto replied folding his arms over his chest in the process.

"You've followed me before?" Nayumi asked in surprise.

"Sure. A few times, here or there. I've only had to get involved one other time, and that was to kill an assassin that had tried to sneak poison into your food about a year and a half ago, but otherwise you've handled things yourself." Naruto answered with a shrug.

Nayumi was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry for seeming ungrateful. I understand why my father sent you, and I thank you for your help." She offered in apology.

"See… was that so hard?" Naruto inquired earning an irritated look from her.

"Hey… not to interrupt but where is Anya?" One of Nayumi's teammate's inquired.

"Oh, I took her into the forest to patch her up. She's going to need medical attention, so it's best we sweep for survivors and get back to town." Naruto replied.

"Wait, before we go, we need to check these guys out. they're dressed like Iwa nin, but they acted so oddly. They never said a word, and seemed almost bored." Nayumi stated.

Naruto nodded in agreement and walked over to one of the corpses. Several minute's of investigation found nothing. Nothing on their persons, no identifying marks. Nothing. The only clue to their identity came in the form of seal on the back of their tongues, which Kurama had suggested he check.

" _Shit, Kurama. How did you know this was there?"_ Naruto inquired.

" **From your father's memories. When Nayumi described how they acted it sounded a bit to me like that group that Danzo ran. Anbu ROOT. Those seals confirm it though. They're the same one's that Danzo placed on ROOT members to stop them from spilling any secrets. Your father investigated the seal, during his time in office. He was trying to determine all of it's functions, so that he could break it, if Danzo put in on others."** Kurama explained.

Naruto simply nodded and swore aloud.

"What is it? You recognize that seal?" Nayumi inquired as she watched him inspect the dead ninja's mouth.

"Yeah. I'll deliver this info to your dad. But first, we need to get your squad-mates some medical attention." Naruto stated.

Nayumi gave him a look but offered a nod. She'd question him about it later. For now, they collected the bodies and headed off into the forest.

While that was going on, Naruto's mind was in a whirlwind, as he analyzed this situation. 'What the hell was Danzo doing out here?' 'Why attack this caravan?' 'Was it the Caravan itself, or one of the guards?'

That last question caused him to glance over at Nayumi as they ran. She was set to become the new lord of the southern most provinces in a few months. If this one an attempt on her life, then things were going to start getting much more complicated, and soon.

Naruto let out a sigh, and pushed forward. The time had come to ally with someone. The leaf was making moves, and getting a little too close for his liking.

 **-To Be Continued-**

 **Okay, so the intro's all all pretty much done. Prologue is finished. Naruto is now Eighteen, so please consider that before you start saying it's impossible for him to be this strong. Well it's not. He didn't have the three years of bullshit from Jiraiya, he's done pretty much nothing but train for five years now, so yeah, I see him power reaching this level. Also for those wondering why I showed him getting hurt in the beginning, it was just to show that while he's grown he isn't invincible. he can still be ambushed, and taken off guard, and still be hurt. so yeah.**

 **I hope you enjoyed Naruto and Nayumi's interactions. I wanted to show them forming a bond before Naruto got pulled into the political landscape of things. She's a friend now. They may not be besties but they understand each other a bit, and have a bond.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, the story starts fully, in the next chapter, no more time skips. K, so Ja Ne!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Alright here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long. RL and all that.**_

 **Naruto: The Runaway Chronicles Redux**

Chapter 3

"Come on Naruto!" A young girl shouted with a smile.

Naruto found himself grinning as he chased after her. He always felt so happy when they were together… like nothing in the world truly mattered.

Eventually he caught up to her and the two walked side by side. His friend smiled at him, as they walked, her grin was contagious and he grinned back. She always had a way of making him grin…

Smile still plastered on his face, Naruto continued forward. He had no clue where the two of them were going, and in all truths it didn't really matter to him.

They finally made it to the front of a building, Naruto had no clue where they were but it didn't really matter. The only thing that mattered was that he was happy.

"Naruto? Are you ready?" His friend asked.

He just smiled in reply and nodded.

In return, she grinned widely and took his hand. The two stepped into the building and then, like every other time, Naruto woke up.

That's how it always happened. Always some descent passive memory, and then, right when he would have learned something about his past, found some form of clarity… it would end.

With a sigh, Naruto opened his eyes. He was surrounded by foliage up in a tree, it had been two days since he had rescued Nayumi and her squad. The group had been able to get medical attention. Now they were all on their way back to Aski.

They were only about an hours run, away from their destination, but those that had suffered injuries needed rest. Naruto glanced around at the group, all of them were asleep except for one, Nayumi sat awake and on guard a few meters away. Naruto found her eyes drifting over to him as he began to move, she gave him a small nod to tell him that it was safe and that no one had found them.

Naruto himself nodded in reply and glanced up at the sky. It was early morning, the sun was just about to peak over the horizon, and the birds were already starting to make noise.

A cool wind blew through the trees making the whole forest come to life with movement, Naruto found himself centering as he sat there. With his mask hiding his face, he slipped into sage mode, extending his sense all around him searching for any possible threats. Finding none he allowed himself to fully relax. While Naruto had dedicated all of his time and energy into training to become stronger, he knew he still had a lot to learn, and after getting jumped more then a few times when he lowered his guard, he was learning to be cautious even when in safe territory, and in the presence of allies.

With perfect silence Naruto moved to Nayumi's side, squatting next to her on the tree branch.

"We're almost home. Do you think we were followed?" Nayumi inquired her voice barely above a whisper. She only spoke as the wind began to pick up so that it masked the sound of her voice. The two were highly skilled and talented ninja after all, and even though they were in their own territory, they had just survived an attack by Anbu level opponents, that was the kind of adversary that instilled a lasting bit of paranoia in you, even if they were easily dispatched due to their inability to counter Naruto's speed, or his teamwork with Nayumi.

"I'm not sure. I have a bad feeling about something. I can't say what. I only ever get this feeling when a fight's about to break out, which has me unnerved. Something seems so off about the forest today. It's shifting, almost as if it were alive, and I feel like I'm being watched." Naruto whispered. It made him nervous since he hadn't felt anyone nearby with his sage mode, yet he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

After a few moments Naruto's eyes drifted to the sky. It was pitch black, no moon out tonight, just stars, and only a hint of light to illuminate it all from beyond the horizon.

He didn't see anything. No birds flying high that could be spies. No Bat's fluttering about, watching their every move. Not even a camera tied to a balloon transmitting pictures. **(*1)**

That meant that there were only two other options. The team of ninja that had ambushed Nayumi's squad had most likely been Anbu ROOT. Meaning Konoha ninja. There were two clans that could spy on a person without being very close to them. The Hyuuga with their Byakugan, which could be used to spy on someone kilometers away. Which means they could be outside of his sensory range with his Sage mode.

In Sage mode, Naruto could sense Chakra that was nearby within about a hundred meters, or if he knew what he was looking for, he could track chakra from a vast distance away with it. Like if he wanted to find someone he knew he could feel out their chakra with sage mode, even if that person were several kilometers away at the time.

The other possibility was the Aburame clan and their insects. The bugs fed on chakra, so they wouldn't have any chakra in them that would identify as their masters. Or the amount would be so minute that that only someone with the ability to actually see chakra would be able to tell the difference between an Aburame insect and the chakra of a regular bug. The only real difference was the amount. Normal bugs had microscopic amounts. Aburame bugs had a bit more.

" **Hinata Hyuuga. Neji Hyuuga. And Shino Aburame. All three of those people would probably know your chakra very well. If it's any of them, they will probably recognize you."** Kurama noted.

Naruto let out a loud sigh at that. It was hidden by the wind, so Nayumi didn't notice.

"Nayumi… wake the other's and make for Aski. It isn't far." Naruto ordered after a moment.

"What?" Nayumi asked, not sure she had heard him right.

"I can't shake the feeling I'm being watched by someone. If those men really were Anbu ROOT, that meant they hail from the Leaf. The Leaf often sends large groups of ninja on assignment and often has back-up teams sent to provide support. Chances are good we're being tracked by a group with a Hyuuga or an Aburame in it. They're keeping a good distance and will more then likely break off and head home once we make it to Aski." Naruto explained, using his own knowledge and what he knew of Leaf shinobi operations from his parent's memories.

"Then why are you asking me to leave? They more then likely already know who we are, once they see where we're headed they'll return to Konoha and report the failure of the mission. What makes you think they'll approach you if you stay behind?" Nayumi inquired, having pieced together his motives for asking them to leave.

"I was trained in Konoha. I left when I was thirteen." Naruto replied.

"Yo-You're a rogue?" Nayumi asked, slightly surprised. I mean it didn't take a genius to guess that the Kitsune was probably from a ninja village. She just never thought he would openly admit it.

"Yeah. I was just some rookie snot-nosed Genin. But the hidden villages still have policies when it comes to guys like me. And I was kinda a celebrity back in the Leaf. If you leave, they'll probably try to confront me. Then… I can take them out." Naruto replied, at first he sounded a bit jovial when he referenced how he was just a Genin, but when he finished, Nayumi could tell he was dead serious.

"Fine. You stay alive though. I want that rematch." Nayumi warned as she rose to her feet and moved to wake her teammates.

"No problem Yumi. When I win the next match you have to let me feel your bum." Naruto replied, causing Nayumi to stumble over her own legs when she heard him. She shot a glare back at him, her cheeks red with a light tinge, she found that he had pulled his mask aside and was grinning at her.

She glared at his shit eating grin for a few moments before grinning as well. She knew he was just trying to get a rise out of her. It's how he got his kicks. Finally she just smirked and made it very obvious, by the way she swayed her hips as she walked, about what she thought of his challenge.

"Right, well if I win, you have to tell me your name." Nayumi shot back at him. Naruto simply let out a laugh as he replaced his mask.

"Tell you what… when I make it back, we can plan out our next rematch." Naruto stated.

"And what if you don't make it back?" Nayumi found herself asking as he turned away.

"If I don't make it back..." Naruto began after a moment of silence. "If I don't make it back… get your dad… to come find me."

Nayumi felt her jaw fall open at that.

"What?" Nayumi asked with a dumbfounded look. She had expected him to say something stupidly heroic or boast.

"I don't wanna be the Leaf's bitch boy again. If I don't make it to Aski in two hours time, get your old man to arrange a search party for me. And come rescue my ass." Naruto replied.

Nayumi couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from her mouth. That answer was so like him. She just nodded and in a burst of speed he was gone.

 **-Ten minutes later-**

"I know it was him." Shino Aburame declared.

"How can you be so sure Shino?" Ino Yamanaka inquired.

"My beetles have his chakra memorized. It's him. And the nine tails chakra he possesses furthers my belief." Shino explained.

Nearby, Shikamaru Nara found himself thinking about the situation deeply. They had finally found Naruto. After over five years, he had finally been located.

A few meters away from Shikamaru was Tenten. She was excited to hear that Naruto had finally been found. That meant they could finally bring him back and Lee could stop working himself half to death so that he could impress his rival upon his return.

The last member of the five men tracking cell was Kakashi Hatake, whom was going through multiple emotions. He was excited by the prospect of finally seeing Naruto again, but he was also concerned. Naruto was traveling with a group of Kumo ninja. Did that mean he was working for them now?

Kakashi was also aware that Naruto had probably helped the Kumo ninja kill that team of ROOT members. Those ROOT shinobi had been sent on this mission at Danzo's suggestion, they were completely expendable and chances were good that they would die anyway, and on top of that, the Hokage had asked Kakashi and his squad to eliminate the ROOT shinobi after they had finished their mission. Danzo was unaware that Tsunade had sent Kakashi and his fellows for this purpose. She was fine with having Danzo's men throw their lives away, but she wouldn't let them gain anything of use from their attack. Kakashi would finish off what was left of them after they were tired and finish the mission in secret.

Tsunade had no qualms with allowing Danzo to send his own men on dangerous mission where they might all be killed, but she refused to allow him to benefit from them. So in this case, when he offered to have his 'Ex-Root' deal with the mission, she agreed, and then sent Kakashi and his squad to kill any survivors and finish the mission on their own. Leaving Danzo without some of his men, and Tsunade would still get the mission completed without putting her own men in danger.

The mission itself was to capture the Kumo ninja and hand them over to a group of rebel ninja in the Land of Lightning to be used as hostages against Kumogakure. It was the Leaf's way of waging a secret war with Kumo, using the small bands of rebels and bandits to thin their numbers and keep Kumogakure was having the fighting force to begin launching attacks of their own in the Land of Fire. A preemptive strike as it were.

Almost like clockwork, every twenty years or so a new Shinobi world war would start, and this next one was about due, so Konoha was getting the first lick in this time. In all three of the last wars they had been on the receiving end of the opening volley, but not this time. Tsunade wasn't going to fight a back-pedaling war, she'd ensure that when that day came, and war broke out again, Konoha would be in a position to hold it's own without needing a miracle like Minato, or the Sannin. Like in the third or second world wars respectively.

War was on everyone's mind. All five of the great nations were slowly gearing up for it. It was about that time and people were wondering what would become the powder keg and what would be the match to ignite it?

Of course…. That was all a moot point, as the ROOT ninja had failed in their mission. And now, Kakashi was left to complete it with his team.

"What should we do Captain?" Tenten inquired, referring to Kakashi.

"Well… Lady Tsunade's orders are to capture him on sight. And that is a class S order. So that outranks all of our other duties. She'd string us up by our toenails if she knew we were this close and didn't try to grab him." Kakashi replied earning nod of understanding or agreement from his fellows.

"Well… we need to get him away from that Kumo team. If he's working with them, chances are they'll fight alongside him, and that gives them a one man advantage." Shikamaru noted.

"We wont have too. My bugs just informed me that he broke off from the squad and if heading east. I believe he has finished with his escort and is returning to his home." Shino informed them.

"Well then… let's go see out friend." Kakashi stated with a smile. In a burst of speed all five of them vanished into the forest, eager to finally confront their old comrade.

 **-Ten minutes Later-**

" **You ready for this?"** Kurama inquired.

"Yeah." Naruto replied aloud. He sat in the middle of the forest, surrounded by trees. He was currently in sage mode tracking the five Leaf ninja now that they were close by. They were moving towards him slowly now, probably walking. He wondered if they would be foolish enough to just approach him without some sort of fight plan, and even then, he wondered if they would underestimate him or not.

In preparation for a fight Naruto had sent two clones off into the forest where they sat and gathered nature energy. When he first started training with sage mode, he could only make five clones, when he was using them to gather nature energy. Any more then that and his concentration would break and they would pop. After a shit load of ball busting work he was able to raise that number to seven. Not a whole lot but it showed that his ability to remain focused had improved vastly over the years.

" **All five of them are powerful. Most likely they are all Jonin. Five on one, isn't so favorable. You need to be ready.** " Kurama warned. Naruto nodded in agreement, he could tell from his senses who these five were. Shino with chakra absorbing bugs. Ino with her clan jutsu. Tenten with weapons. Shikamaru with his clan jutsu and brains, and worst of all was Kakashi, who knew over a thousand jutsu and had the Sharingan. Naruto knew he had to be very careful.

A few moments passed and Naruto felt Shino appear in the trees behind him. While at the same time he left a clone in his place with the group of five. Probably a bug clone. Kakashi had also created a set of two shadow clones which were hiding behind the trees on either side of him.

Right about then the group of five emerged from the forest.

"Took you long enough." Naruto muttered as he rose to his feet.

"Naruto? Is that really you?" Ino found herself asking.

"You already know the answer to that sugar tits." Naruto replied earning a surprised look from Ino.

"What did you call me!?" Ino shouted, angered by his blatant disrespect. She was quickly shushed by Kakashi whom stood at the front of the group.

"Sugar tits. What's up spiky?" Naruto answered before addressing Kakashi.

"Hello Naruto. It's been a long time. I like your mask." Kakashi stated offering an eye smile.

"Thanks. It cost me a pretty ryo at a stand in town. I see time has been good to all of you… especially the ladies. Nice." Naruto replied giving Ino and Tenten a once over. Ino looked disgruntled at being turned into an object while Tenten merely made a face.

"You've turned into quite the flirt Naruto. Seems Master Jiraiya's lessons clung to you after all." Kakashi stated with a chuckle.

" **Oh… that was a low blow. He just compared you to the self proclaimed super pervert."** Kurama muttered.

"Damn… and the first point goes to team jackass. That was a nice burn. Gonna take at least a week before I recover from that." Naruto snarked in reply, earning another chuckle from Kakashi.

"Well… as much as I'd love to keep up the banter Naruto. We need to move on to business." Kakashi stated after a moment of silence. While they were talking, Shikamaru had begun to stretch his shadow through the forest using the shadows of the tree to ease it's movements. He was getting it into position behind Naruto before he would stretch it out and catch him from his blind spot.

"I agree." Naruto stated, his voice conveying a seriousness that those present had never heard from him before.

"Why did you leave Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he made a motion with his hand, and Ino, and Tenten fanned out and stood on either side of Kakashi.

"Weather was too muggy. Didn't like the draft in my room at night. So I moved somewhere else." Naruto replied.

"You ran away from the village Naruto. Don't you know how worried your friends have been?" Kakashi inquired.

"Friends? What friends? You mean the group of jackasses that always called me names, and never once stood up for me? Do you mean the old pervert, my godfather, who spent all of my life off peeping and spying for the village and never once gave me the time of day. Perhaps you're talking about my so called teammates, one that hit me every chance she got when I was only ever nice to her, or perhaps you mean the Uchiha. The piece of shit who tried to betray the Leaf and before I stopped him, he proved just how much our friendship meant when he shoved a lightning covered fist through my chest. Or perhaps you mean yourself. The king of the hypocrites. 'Those who abandon the mission are trash but those who abandon their friends are worse then trash.' In six months time you talk me how to tree walk. That's it. I learned fuck all else. Hell during the Chuunin exams you left me in the care of Ebisu. Ebisu! That man hated me. Fucken dumbass." Naruto fired at them, Kakashi was obviously affected by his words as his eyes fell to the ground. The others shifted nervously, all except Shikamaru and Shino's clone who had their eyes locked on Naruto.

"Naruto…. I…." Kakashi began but he was cut off by Naruto.

"Sakumo, Obito, Rin, and my father would be ashamed of the man you've become." Naruto muttered darkly.

Kakashi visibly recoiled as if he had been struck, and in that instant Naruto saw his opening. As was his style, Naruto would do whatever it took to get under his opponents skin, and he was well aware that his chances of winning were low if he didn't take some of them out quickly.

So, faster then lightning, Naruto whipped a kunai at Kakashi's face. He then spun and fired four kunai at nearby trees. Three of them were aimed at where the clones and Shino had been hiding and the fourth flew off into the forest as his escape measure.

Both the one he threw into the forest and the one he threw at Kakashi were inscribed with the **Hirashin** formula.

Kakashi had quite literally been gut punched by Naruto's words, so much so that when faced with a kunai coming right towards his face he could only lean side ways to avoid it, and that was just barely.

Right as it passed Kakashi's head Naruto began to draw his sword. He had already coated it, in a paralyzing agent, now he just needed a target. Kakashi was tempting as he was obviously the most experienced fighter, but Naruto found himself focusing on Shikamaru. He knew the Nara would be the one to come up with a plan to beat him, so he waited a few extra seconds as Shikamaru side stepped Naruto's kunai from his position behind Kakashi.

Naruto waited until the kunai was passing directly in front of Shikamaru before he activated the bomb tags on his kunai, destroying the Leaf ninja's clones and probably damaging Shino, at the very least he threw him off balance. He then activated the **Hiraishin.**

Kakashi found his jaw slamming into the ground as he saw Naruto vanish in an instant. The movement was impossibly fast. That could only mean…

In that instant a cry was heard and Kakashi and the others spun around. They found Shikamaru stumbling back against a tree, clutching his stomach. It took only a moment before Kakashi saw blood gushing out from the wound. There, crouched in front of Shikamaru, was Naruto, his sword unsheathed and one hand, on the kunai, which Kakashi now knew had been inscribed with the fourth Hokage's legendary technique.

"Shikamaru!" Ino screamed out as she saw the blood flowing from Shikamaru's gut.

"What...?" Shikamaru muttered in disbelief. The Naruto they knew would never attack someone he considered a friend. So then why had he done it? It didn't make sense.

"Don't take it personal Shikamaru. You're the biggest threat in the group. Strategist first. Then the medic." Naruto stated, at that moment he whipped his kunai at Ino guessing she was the groups medic.

Ino saw the kunai fly towards her and moved to avoid it. Luckily it was deflected by one, thrown by Kakashi who was busy uncovering his Sharingan.

Even as Naruto's kunai flew off it's mark and spun high above Ino, Naruto still flashed to it, disappearing so quickly not even Kakashi's Sharingan could follow. He knew where Naruto would be though and spun towards where Naruto's kunai had been deflected.

He found Naruto there, already throwing the **Hiraishin** kunai down at Ino again. This time, Ino's position blocked Kakashi from deflecting it, and none of his team had caught on to Naruto's jutsu yet. They had no experience with the **Hiraishin**.

"Ino!" Kakashi started to shout, he only managed to get out the first syllable as she turned to the kunai heading right for her.

She spun in such a way that the blade found rest right in her shoulder. Ino let out a cry of pain and spun back, the kunai now in the front of her right shoulder.

With a third flash Naruto appeared at the kunai, giving it a sharp twist, Ino let out a scream of pain and fell to her knees, while Naruto lashed out with his sword aiming to take Kakashi's head off.

By now, the Copy cat ninja had his Sharingan revealed and was able to block the strike.

With a twist of his body, Naruto kicked Ino towards where Shikamaru lay. He then then spun and sent his kunai at Tenten whom had summoned a katana of her own, which had a chain attached to the hilt.

As the kunai raced towards her, Naruto brought his Katana up for a downward slash, it looked to be aimed at Kakashi, but Kakashi knew better. This was one of Minato's moves, almost verbatim. Throw one of his **Hiraishin** kunai and begin an attack, then finish it on the person facing the oncoming kunai instead of the one Minato was facing at that moment. It was a way to catch them off guard, and it had felled countless ninja. So instead of blocking Naruto's sword strike, Kakashi fired a kunai at him and started to shout at Tenten.

"Block High!" He screamed right as Naruto vanished in a flash.

Tenten had learned long ago to trust guys like Kakashi, even over her own instincts. So she whipped her chain forward to deflect the kunai and brought her sword up in a defensive position. In that instant, Naruto appeared, her chain impacted against his chest but did nothing to slow him, and he was already in the midst of a downward slash.

A loud, resonating clang was heard as their blades slammed into each other.

Both brought their blades down, but remained in a deadlock. Naruto had his sword in one hand and his kunai in the other, he took the opportunity to fire it at Kakashi and then charged up a **Rasengan** in the now free hand.

Tenten's eyes widened as the spiraling sphere came rushing towards her, she quickly pushed off from her blade lock with Naruto and dashed back, putting some distance between her and him.

Right about then, Naruto began to notice a drain on his chakra. He felt it slowly seeping away, it took him only a few moments to realize that it must have been Shino's insects.

" _Kurama."_ Naruto thought.

" **Right.** " The Fox thought back. The two hadn't yet bound their chakra together, but that didn't mean Naruto didn't know how to control a great deal of it. The Fox's demonic Chakra was poisonous to living things so the moment Naruto began to channel the Fox's Youki through his body, was the moment Shino's insects started to drop dead.

"He's drawing upon the Fox's chakra!" Kakashi shouted to his fellows. He could see the blood red chakra flowing through Naruto's body. This caused Kakashi to curse internally, Naruto was so much stronger then he had been five years ago. He was stronger, and smarter too. He had taken out their strategist in his opening attack. He had then crippled their medic. Ino was now focused on healing Shikamaru, meaning the two of them were out of this fight for now. He had just rendered most of Shino's abilities useless by using the Fox's chakra to kill off any of Shino's insects that got close, that left only Kakashi and Tenten to really fight him, and he had his Father's signature jutsu.

"It's over Kakashi. Take your team and fall back. Otherwise, I'll be forced to kill you." Naruto warned as he fell into a battle stance, one reminiscent of a samurai.

Kakashi was quiet for a moment as he gauged the situation. Naruto was between him and Tenten, but he had a **Hiraishin** Kunai laying in the grass no more then six feet from Kakashi, meaning he could shift position in an instant. He had already taken out two of them and had rendered one of them worthless in this fight as long as he allowed some of the Fox's chakra to flow through him. This wasn't looking good for them.

"Naruto…. What happened to you?" Kakashi asked after a moment.

"I opened my eyes. You beat a dog long enough and it becomes complaisant. Like that's the only way to live. But… if you show it a better life, then try to beat it again, it wont be so complaisant. It'll bite back. I will never return to Konoha of my own free will. If it weren't for the past we share and the fact that on some level you did care for me, I would kill you all right now. But as it stands, killing you would only send more enemies my way." Naruto replied, his voice cold and a dim red glow emanated from beneath his mask.

The blood red glow of Harikēn also did little to hide his anger or the feeling of malevolence they were getting right now.

"You know we'll tell Lady Tsunade. She'll send us back… you know she will." Kakashi informed his old student.

"I'm aware. I have nothing against the old lady. Unlike others, she never did me any wrong. You tell her that if she sends you back here, I'll just end up hurting you. And if she sends others… people I have a more complicated past with… I'll kill them..." Naruto warned.

It didn't take Kakashi more then a moment to know who Naruto was referencing too. If he saw Sakura or Sasuke he would kill them. Whatever had happened in the last five years, it had left Naruto a different man. He wouldn't take the abuse anymore. He wouldn't just laugh off the pain.

"I understand, Naruto." Kakashi stated as he made a motion telling Tenten and Shino to stand down.

"Captain..." Tenten tried to argue.

"It's no use Tenten. He could have killed any of us in a moment. Naruto could have offed me right at the start. It wouldn't have been difficult to take down Shikamaru after that. If he wanted to kill us, we'd be dead. He could have finished Shikamaru and Ino off at any moment, both of them are injured and can't fight back. He's giving us the chance to walk away. I wont allow my comrades to die, for no reason. With his Father's jutsu, I know I can't beat him in a one on one fight. Add in the Fox's chakra and the fact that we are behind enemy lines… this is a fight we cannot win. Let's fall back." Kakashi ordered. Tenten didn't look happy about it but nodded. Shino was silent as he appeared by Ino and Shikamaru. By now, Ino had closed the wound on Shikamaru's stomach, but he was still paralyzed.

"Sorry for the cut Shikamaru. But… you are the biggest threat." Naruto called out as he tapped the side of his head. Shikamaru's response was to give him a glare but behind it, was something else. Shikamaru was never someone who let his emotions compromise his decisions. He was well aware Naruto could have killed him in that opening strike. He was also aware that he could have killed Ino when he closed in on her, but he didn't Naruto only crippled them. It showed a mental growth that Shikamaru would have never expected from Naruto. And while it sucked to be on the receiving end of it, the Nara could admit… it was a well thought out plan.

"Oh… and Kakashi..." Naruto called out to the man as the Leaf ninja regrouped.

"Hm?" Kakashi answered giving him a look.

"I lied before. While you suck major Donkey nuts as a sensei, my old man and yours would be proud of you." Naruto stated. Then in a burst of speed he was at his **Hiraishin** kunai then with another burst he was gone.

Kakashi stood in silence for several moments before a smile appeared on his face. "Hm… still the number one unpredictable, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja. Eh, Naruto?"

It only took Kakashi a moment to realize why he had said those things at the opening of the fight. It was to throw him off. The speech at the beginning had been to keep Kakashi off balance. Those words at the end though had come from the heart. That was the Naruto they knew. His words had carried compassion, showing that he was still the kind young man he had always been.

"Let's go guys. We need to get out of here before Kumo nin come to investigate." Kakashi ordered. And with that, the team vanished.

" **It was wise to let them go. If you had killed them, the Leaf would have reined unholy hell down on your head."** Kurama stated as Naruto headed towards Aski. Both were well aware that surprise had been a major asset in that fight. They obviously weren't dumb enough to think that Naruto hadn't grown in five years, but they were completely unprepared for him to have access to the **Hiraishin**. Probably the only person who had any clue how to counter the technique was Jiraiya, and that was only a 'probably'. There was a reason Minato was so feared.

" _I know. I had no real reason to kill them. While they may not have been my true friends… at the very least we were comrades. I don't hate them. I hate what they represent. I hate the Leaf. Like I told them, if it weren't for the fact that we were comrades once upon a time, I would have ended them. But… then again… maybe not._ " Naruto thought back.

" **You're grown Naruto. While I would take great pleasure in watching you slaughter every person in the Leaf, you are not me. You aren't a monster, that can just kill his emotions. At your base, you are a good person. Not as naive as you once were, which is why I can tolerate your kind heart."** Kurama replied.

" _Hey_ … _admit it, you enjoy not being evil all the time."_ Naruto teased.

" **It has it's moments."** Kurama thought back as he settled down to sleep.

It was about twenty minutes of running later, when Naruto ran into Nayumi. Whom seemed to be heading back for him.

"Hiya!" Naruto greeted as the two ran into each other.

"So… looks like you didn't need that search party after all." Nayumi stated as she gave him a once over. She took note of the fact that he didn't seem to be hurt at all.

"Nope. I was too fast for them." Naruto replied as he removed his mask.

"Are they dead?" Nayumi inquired.

"No. I wasn't about to get put in the bingo book as a criminal on top of being a missing nin." Naruto replied as he walked along side her towards Aski.

"Who were they?" Nayumi inquired.

"Some people I knew once upon a time. They wont be coming back if they know what's good for them." Naruto answered. Though he didn't sound so sure of his own words.

Nayumi picked up on that and let out a sigh. "Well, at least you're alright."

"Thanks for coming back for me Yumi." Naruto offered with a smile.

"Don't call me that." Nayumi replied as she playfully punched him in the shoulder.

There was the contrast that made Naruto more aware of the changes in his life. Where Nayumi would only playfully hit him for calling her a name she didn't enjoy, and even play along with some of his lewd jokes, Sakura would have hit him hard, for both instances. It showed the difference between his new and old lives. Sakura was just a bitch that he had the misfortune of being on the same team with. Nayumi was a friend. A much better one then Sakura could have ever been. Hell Naruto had actually peeped on Nayumi once when he was younger, and while she may have brought it up once or twice she seemed to have let the matter go, as a stupid kid being stupid. Sakura would have beaten him to near death and then never let him forget it. That was the difference between the two woman. One was a cunt the other was a descent human being. Not to say that peeping on girls is alright, but in the end we were all kids at one point, and when you're a kid you get to be stupid. Nayumi was mature enough to realize that, so she just teased him about it.

These differences really made Naruto think about the how his life had been then and how his life was now. Things were so different now. He was different. Happier.

"Nayumi… you're a good friend." Naruto stated as they walked.

"Where did that come from?" Nayumi inquired.

"I just… I don't think I've ever told you that." Naruto replied as he gave her a look.

"Hm… thanks Fox. That means a lot to hear you say that." Nayumi admitted with a smile.

The two smiled at each other and continued onwards.

It was a few hours later, that Naruto stood before Daso Hiyoto and informed him of what happened and his theory about the ROOT ninja.

"ROOT huh? That would mean Danzo." Daso huffed as Naruto finished his explanation.

"I'm surprised you know who Danzo is. The old bastard loves to hide in the shadows." Naruto replied.

"The Leaf likes to think that so many of it's great secrets are in fact secret. But people like Danzo are well known to the world. Everyone's heard of the Leaf's top secret attack dog. And they've heard rumors of the soulless shadow organization ROOT. And on top of all of that, Onoki would never attack my family. Whatever grievances he may have with Kumo, our families have at worst been friends for centuries. Hell I even made it very clear with the previous Raikage and the current one that while I would fight Iwa if it ever came to war, I wouldn't fight Onoki. Our families have been to close for too long for me to throw away such bonds over the nothing, these past few wars have been fought over." Daso replied.

"So… there is little chance that those Iwa ninja were legit Iwa nin?" Naruto stated.

"Yep. I think you're theory is correct. Those were most likely ROOT ninja. The Leaf ninja that followed you, confirm it, in my mind." Daso agreed.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about that. They would have probably just gone home, if it hadn't been for me. I apologize for bringing a fight to your doorstep." Naruto stated after a moment, letting out a sigh as he finished.

"Hey… don't worry about it. You helped protect my precious little girl. So what if you had to trounce a few Leaf dog's at my borders? What matters is that she is safe, and so are you." Daso replied with a smile.

"Sadly, they will probably return soon. I think my time here in Aski is coming to a close." Naruto muttered as he glanced out of Daso's office window.

"You're leaving?" Nayumi asked in surprise. She had been standing by, silently listening to Naruto give his report, only speaking to offer her own input. She felt a pang of sadness shoot through her when she had heard him say that. Nayumi didn't have many friends… or any really. The Kitsune was one of the few people she considered a friend. He was someone she liked… and he was always kind and friendly with her. It had never crossed her mind that he would one day leave.

Her affection for him, was something she wouldn't admit to anyone. Nayumi was someone whom admired strength. Not just physically, but in all forms. Strength in heart, strength in ideals, and most importantly, strength in character. The kitsune was all those things. He was kind and caring, she had seen him helping people all over Aski and while he often worked for money, on most occasions he never asked for much. He was one of the strongest fighters she knew and yet, he chose to live simply. He could have been anything with his power and smarts, but he chose to live the life of a mercenary. Helping the innocent and striking down evil. She admired him greatly. And may have even had a minor crush on him. It saddened her to think that he could be leaving, when she was just now starting to open up to him.

"I'm sorry Yumi… but I don't know what else to say. If I stay, the leaf will send shinobi after me. I put you all in danger by remaining. And it wont take long before Danzo catches wind of this and sends his ROOT. And you saw how brutal they can be. I don't wanna put any of you in danger. I'm sorry." Naruto replied.

"Fox… we can look after ourselves. The Hiyoto family has lived here for nearly six centuries, and ruled for half as long. We've weathered against greater foes then snakes like Danzo. And don't forget, this was where the Third Great Ninja War ended, the final battle were fought here, we know how to protect ourselves. You don't need to leave. We want you here." Nayumi told him. In the background, Daso offered his daughter a smile and nodded in agreement.

"She's right Fox. We Hiyoto have weathered worse then Danzo and the Leaf. In fact, I'll take it as a personal insult if you leave now. Besides, who else am I gonna get to do my dirty work for so cheap?" Daso stated finishing with a booming laugh.

Naruto, for his part offered the two a grateful smile. He truly didn't want to leave, and hearing the two practically demand that he stay, warmed Naruto's heart in ways that it never had before.

"Thanks you guys." Naruto stated, a smile still present on his face.

The two simply smiled in reply. It took a few moments before Naruto locked eyes with Nayumi. He stared at her for a moment before speaking.

"Naruto." He said as he stared at her.

"What?' Nayumi inquired, confused by the statement.

"You wanted to know my name if you won our next fight. It's Naruto. We've been friends for so long yet you've never pried. I want to thank you for being my friend Yumi." Naruto stated.

"Naruto huh? Maelstrom…. It fits." Nayumi stated with a smirk. Naruto smiled back, while Daso watched the two with a smirk of his own.

"Naruto… there are things we should speak about. The Leaf is beginning to move, and the Raikage will not be happy to hear about this blatant attack on his Shinobi. And he certainly wont like to hear about Leaf ninja in the Land of Lightning. Naruto… your place in the world is about to see a whole lot of action. A simple mercenary like yourself wont find the world so inviting when things start to heat up." Daso began.

"So what are you suggesting?" Naruto inquired.

"I want to offer you a job. A more permanent one then usual." Daso informed him.

"What kind of job are we referring to?" Naruto inquired.

"I want you to become Nayumi's personal guard." Daso replied.

"Father, I don't need a bodyguard. I can take care of myself." Nayumi immediately argued.

"I know you can protect yourself My girl. But you have to think above yourself. Think about the province and the people. If something were to happen to you, I can't imagine the chaos that would occur. You need to be protected. You have a very important job. I asked Naruto to be your guard because you're friends. Because he respects you, and wont treat you like a child, and because he's proven that he can look our for you already. This isn't up for discussion. So what do you say Naruto?" Daso asked as he locked eyes with the young warrior.

"Hmm… steady pay. A warm bed at night. And I get to spend my time in good company? Sure… I'll take the gig. It's better then sleeping in the woods or on a lice infested cot in some inn." Naruto replied with a smile and shrug.

Nayumi made a face but turned and headed out of the office. Daso gave Naruto a look to which Naruto simply smiled and turned to follow after her.

"You know this changes nothing right? I still expect you to give it your all when we have our rematch." Nayumi stated as he caught up to her.

"Of course… my lady." Naruto replied. His words caused Nayumi to stop and shoot him a look. He had never once called her my lady, so hearing him say it was just so odd.

"You may be my bodyguard, but I don't intend for us to stop being friends. You don't need to call me that." Nayumi informed him as they continued to look.

"Oh I know. I was just using it to distract you so I could ogle your rear." Naruto replied. This caused an irritated smirk to appear on Nayumi's face, and she shot him a warning look only to find him smirking at her.

"Well… look all you want, but you need to beat me in our next fight if you wanna feel." Nayumi fired back after a moment.

"Oh… now there's an enticing thought. I can't wait." Naruto stated with a perverse giggle. Causing Nayumi to blush and playfully punch him again.

"You're cute when you blush Yumi." Naruto commented as he turned and headed off towards one of the courtyards. If he had looked back, he would have noticed the light red tinge on the young lady's face.

She watched him wander off for several moments before a smirk appeared on her face. She enjoyed how open he was around her. Some may call it lack of respect for her station, but she simply enjoyed that he said what was on his mind. She didn't like the idea of having a babysitter, but she wouldn't deny that the idea of being able to spend more time with Naruto wasn't an interesting thought. After all, she was still curious about him, and little by little she was unraveling the mystery.

- **Elsewhere a few hours later-**

"What in the fuck happened to you!?" Tsunade Senju shouted as she stared down one of her top strategists.

Shikamaru stood next to the rest of his squad, all of his clothes below the waist were dyed red from the blood stains. Ino had managed to fully heal him and the paralyzing agent had mostly worn off, so he was able to move again. Ino's arm was also healed as well, but there was now a nasty scar, which she spent most of their trip home complaining about.

"I uh… may have suffered a bit of an injury." Shikamaru replied, looking tired and meek.

"Injury? It looks to me like you were disemboweled. Kakashi… what the fuck happened?" Tsunade snapped in reply.

"Naruto happened, ma'am." Kakashi answered.

"What? Naruto?" Tsunade stuttered out, surprise adorning her features.

"Yes ma'am. Our mission was a failure. The team of Kumo ninja survived and with the help of Naruto, managed to kill of the ROOT ninja. We followed them as they returned home in the hopes of gathering some intel and maybe completing the mission. However, Shino soon identified Naruto and we moved to intercept him." Kakashi explained.

"And… what happened?" Tsunade pressed not giving a single fuck about the mission or the ROOT ninja.

"Well… he told us in no uncertain terms that he was through with the Leaf's treatment of him, and that he wasn't going to take anyone's shit anymore. He then proceeded to utilize the fourth Hokage's signature jutsu to beat the living shit out of us. He took down Shikamaru first, then Ino, then he rendered Shino's insects useless with the Fox's Youki. That left me and Tenten. With the Fourth's jutsu at his disposal neither one of us would have lasted long. I'm good, but even I don't know how to counter that technique." Kakashi explained earning nods of agreement from his team.

"Naruto did this too you? And he has access to Minato's **Hiraishin**!" Tsunade bellowed in complete shock.

"Yes ma'am." Was Kakashi's reply.

Tsunade was silent for several moments as she stared down the team of five. Finally she took a deep breath ran a hand over her face and adopted a very pointed stare.

"Start from the beginning. Do not leave a single thing out. Tell me everything." Tsunade ordered, and with that, the team set in for several long hours of explanations. By the end of it, a plan would be set in motion and once again, our hero would find himself in the cross-hairs.

 **-To be continued-**

 ***1: Look at the list of Naruto tech, they did have Camera's and stuff like that so I only assume the ninja would develop tech like that for spying.**

 _ **Alright there you go. Let me know what you think and sorry it took so long. I hope you like this new direction. I wanted to show Naruto and Nayumi getting to know each other more. Show them spending time with each other. Yes there's a bit of affection in there, but they're teenagers it's to be expected. I wanted to show them teasing one another and making jokes, just all round enjoying each other's company. Plus the bodyguard angle allows me to have them together without them having to get married just yet. So I hope you enjoy. And yes… things will begin to pick up with the nations. They are tense and preparing for war with each other. Why…? Who knows.**_

 _ **Also, I hope people enjoyed the battle I wrote. I hope it didn't seem to impossible for Naruto to be able to win that. I wanted to show that he has grown a lot, and that with his father's ability he can triumph over larger numbers of adversaries. Also please note that he did not show any use of Sage mode or even really use any Ninjutsu, so most of his abilities are still a secret, but he had to get Shikamaru out of the fight quickly or he'd be in deep trouble. Anyway, JA NE!**_


End file.
